The Silvanimus
by Star Polaris
Summary: AU. Long before Harry goes to Hogwarts he makes a decision that will change his whole existence.
1. A stranger in the forest

_Chapter 1: A stranger in the forest_

_**Spring 1987**_

Calm green eyes peered from behind a thick branch. The bus he should have been on was moving away and yet the child remained hidden by the thick bushes. He knew he was going to be in a lot of trouble. He had known it the moment he decided to not return to the bus with his class mates. And yet for the first time in his whole life he felt at peace. From the instant he had stepped from the bus into the forest's ground he had known that he was at home in a way he had never been at his Aunt's house.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had allowed him to go to this field trip mainly because they wanted a day on their own and Miss Figg was not there to take care of him. So, for the first time in his short life, Harry had boarded a school bus that would take him and his class mates to a nearby forest so that they could see the different kinds of plants they had been studying in class. Harry had been excited about the journey, even though it would last only one day, it would be the first time he had been allowed to go to a field trip. Thanks to Dudley's pushing, he was the last child to walk out of the bus, so no one noticed when he stopped short, eyes shinning brightly in surprise. He couldn't explain how he was feeling, it was too weird. For the first time he felt alive and from that moment he knew he was not going to leave this forest when his class returned to the city. After all, what did he have there? Nothing but relatives who didn't want him and bullies who liked to chase after him.

As soon as no one was looking at him, he walked away from the group, disappearing between thick bushes and green leaves. He remained close to the place the bus had come while the other children played around the forest so that he could know for sure when they were going to leave. And later, when it was time to eat, he remained hidden, despite the hunger that consumed his little body, he refused to move from his hiding place. And so he waited for hours until finally the other children boarded the bus and with a lurch the bus disappeared leaving him behind and happy.

Once the last bit of smoke disappeared, Harry raised from the bushes. He didn't think anyone would notice he had disappeared before they arrived to Surrey, but he didn't want to remain there when someone came to look for him. Somehow he knew that while his relatives wouldn't move a finger to get him back into their care, someone would be coming, and he was going to make sure he was not there when that happened. Leaving the clearing where the other children had been playing he walked deeper into the forest. He had heard many stories about how dangerous forests were, and how many dangerous animals could pray onto small children. But instinctively he knew that they wouldn't hurt him. That for some reason he was safe while he walked this forest. He had been wandering for an hour when his stomach rumbled once again in hunger. He had not been fed the day before because the Dursley said he would receive more than enough food during the trip. Looking around for something to eat, he saw some big berries growing in a bush close to him. His mouth already salivating at the thought, he approached the berries and he was about to take one when a stern voice sounded behind him.

"Don't touch those, boy!"

Harry immediately stepped away and sank into the floor, covering his head with his thin arms. When no slap fell after a few moments, he finally dared to look up. In front of him stood the most intimidating man he had ever seen. He was much taller than Uncle Vernon and just as thin as his Uncle was fat. His black eyes were looking at him intently, a frown etched on his pallid face. His deep voice spoke again, in a much softer tone.

"There's no need to be so scared, child, I'm not going to hurt you." Taking a few steps closer to the berries he motioned to them. "These berries on the other side would have killed you in a few minutes. You didn't eat any, did you?"

Harry shook his head slightly making the man frown. "A verbal answer, please."

The child gulped. "No, sir, I didn't eat any."

The man nodded and finally approached him. Harry had to fight every learned instinct to stay where he was. Experience had taught him that running didn't really help unless he could outrun his tormentor and while it sometimes worked with his Uncle, he somehow didn't think this stranger would let him get away. Harry blinked in surprise when the man sat down on the floor just in front of him.

"So, tell me child. Why did you remain behind when all the others left? You did it on purpose, there's no doubt of that, but I would like to know why."

Harry bit his lip. "I don't know, sir."

The dark-haired man raised an eyebrow. "You'll have to do much better than that, boy."

The man noticed as once again the child was not able to repress a flinch, but he decided that was something they would have to discuss later on.

Harry knew he would have to answer, but it was just so difficult to put into words what he was feeling. "I felt good here, safe. It felt warm and like I think a home should feel. It was like I never wanted to go back."

The tall man looked at the boy intently, and seeing as he was struggling to find the right words to express himself, he decided on a faster approach. He had a suspicion on what was going on, but he needed to be sure.

"Look at me, child."

Deep green eyes obeyed him hesitantly and became fixed into his dark pools. The world disappeared around them as the man allowed the child's feelings to fill him. On the other hand, and only for the briefest of moments, Harry felt like he had known this man for his whole life and not only that, but he also knew that he was safe to be with. The connection was broken just as quick as it had been initiated and the man had to repress a sigh. The tall man sighed, he had been right after all. The boy belonged here just like his kind had always belonged in the forest. It was a few years earlier than he had expected as younglings usually were drawn to the forest when they were nine or ten and the child was not even seven, but it was not unheard off. A sudden awareness crossed his mind and dissipated his thoughts, someone had just trespassed the forest's border and was there to take the child away.

Standing up he reached down and took the surprised boy into his strong arms. Harry tensed in surprise and immediately began to trash, afraid of what the man would do to him. The strong arms didn't release him, instead they just tightened around him.

"Calm down at once."

The deep voice had been lowered to a rumble and, to his own surprise, Harry obeyed immediately and remained panting in the strangers arms. The panic that had been raising within him subsided and yet he remained tense.

"There are people here looking for you. They have crossed the forest's borders and are fast approaching. Unless you say the contrary I'm going to take you with me to a safe place."

Harry looked up into the stranger's eyes which were looking back at him serenely. He didn't know how he felt about this man who was promising to take him away, but it couldn't be worse than facing his uncle. Remembering the feeling he had had a few moments ago, when the man had made him look at him, he knew that his decision was made.

"I don't want to go back."

The man didn't wait for more. In long strides he walked to a thick trunk. Harry's eyes widened as the tall man didn't make a move to stop or dodge the large tree. The moment he was sure they were going to collide, he buried his head into the man's shoulder and so he didn't see a bright light encompassing them. A few moments later, realising he was still safely in the man's arms and that he was not hurting, Harry raised his eyes and saw that they were just at the forest's border. The feelings that had been with him all day had diminished but didn't leave completely. The man kept moving in those large strides. Harry considered telling him he was able to walk on his own but one glance at the forbidding face and he desisted. A minute later they entered a garden. It was the largest and most beautiful garden Harry had ever seen. Flowers were growing everywhere around the path they were walking. A small river crossed the garden providing with water the beautiful plants and the trees that grew neatly in the garden. A minute later they arrived to a large porch. Harry was finally lowered to the ground and he turned at once to look at the building that loomed over them. It was completely made of stone and somehow it felt cold. Harry frowned, sure that he didn't want to enter the building. His companion noticed his reluctance and didn't wait for him to protest, he simply took his hand and pushed him inside, closing the the door firmly behind them.

Harry let out a deep moan. The feeling of the forest had disappeared completely, leaving him bereft and cold. Trembling, he sank to the floor and softly started to cry. His mind was telling him he had gone insane. He had not cried since he was a baby, soon learning that tears were of no use and only served to annoy his Uncle even more. But even those thoughts didn't serve to stop the torrent that was spilling from his eyes.

The man sighed. It had been a long time since he had had a youngling in his care and didn't know if he would be able to dredge up the patience needed to take care of this one. Shaking his head he leaned down and took the child into his arms again. Knowing that his presence would help a bit.

Harry buried his head into the dark shoulder, soaking the comfort coming from the man that simply held him.

"I'm sorry."

And yet the tears refused to halt. He felt so cold. "Don't worry, it is normal, you will get used to it."

"I don't understand why..."

The man stroked his back gently. "Don't try to understand now, everything will be explained, don't worry."

They remained in the same position for nearly half an hour before the terrible feeling of loss that Harry had been feeling subsided. Hiccuping slightly, the child rubbed his eyes to dry his tears and finally detached his head from the man's shoulder.

"Better now?"

Harry nodded silently making the man raise an eyebrow. "What did I say about answers?"

The child looked up quickly, a bit of fear in his eyes. "Sorry, sir. I'm better now."

The man nodded. "I assume you're hungry?"

Harry doubted about how to answer that question. On one side he was really hungry but on the other one he didn't want to force the man to feed him. He had hesitated a moment too long as the stern voice interrupted his thoughts.

"First rule, you will never lie to me. As long as you live here you will answer any question I ask truthfully. You won't like the consequences if you don't."

Harry looked at him with big eyes. Not because of the threat, he was more than used to being threatened. But the man had said he was going to live there. When had that been decided? Not that he thought he had much of a choice in the matter, but it would have been nice to ask if he wanted to live here in the first place. A small voice reminded him that the man had asked, even if it had been in a very roundabout way.

Before Harry had the chance to voice his thoughts, his small hand was taken once again in the man's larger one and he was lead through a door to a hall that opened into a beautiful kitchen. Now that the feelings of loss had lessened, Harry looked around him curiously. The walls were made of stone, and looked just like the outside of the house, but beautiful paintings were decorating them, giving them a lively look. The furniture that decorated the hall and the kitchen was made of dark wood and showed signs of having been around for many years. The kitchen had many large windows that showed an impressive view of the garden flowering behind them. At the man's prompt, Harry took a seat at the circular table and looked as the older man started making some sandwiches.

After a few moments of silence, Harry gathered his nerve and finally asked one of the many questions he had on his mind.

"Sir?"

The dark-haired man glanced briefly to him before returning his attention to the bread he was cutting. "Yes?"

Harry bit his lip slightly. The man's tone of voice was not angry but it was not inviting either. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I doubt it's only one." When the child didn't proceed with his questions, the tall man turned around and leaned against the counter. "I can't promise I'll answer everything, but you can ask your questions."

Harry gulped slightly and looked up to the man's dark eyes. "Who are you, sir?"

A very small smile curled on the man's lips before he turned around. "Ah, the big question, but shouldn't you have asked that before coming with me?"

Harry fidgeted nervously on his seat, suddenly not feeling so safe as he had been feeling. "I didn't want to go back to the Dursley."

And that was actually the crux of the matter, to avoid going back to his relatives he would have done much more than allow a stranger that made him feel safe to take him away.

"And who are the Dursley?"

Harry shook his head. "My aunt and Uncle. I live with them."

"I see." The man turned slightly and glanced at the much too thin boy. "My name is Severus Snape, you may call me either sir as you have been doing, or Professor."

Harry blinked at the last one. "Are you a teacher?"

Snape shook his head slightly. "I've been known to teach before, yes, but I don't last long in any position. Mostly because I don't like teaching dunderheads."

The child cringed slightly. His teachers had called him that often enough, mostly because his aunt and uncle didn't allow him to do better than Dudley in class and so his grades had to remain below those of his cousin, which was nearly impossible. Severus though continued without taking notice.

"I mostly live here, do research and take care of the forest."

Harry blinked slightly, all thoughts about the Dursley forgotten for the moment. "You take care of the forest? Is it yours?"

Snape turned with a plate of finished sandwiches and walked up to the table, putting them just in the middle. "Not exactly. We'll talk about it later on."

Harry ignored the food. "Will you also tell me why I was feeling so weird, sir?"

Snape put two glasses filled with clear, fresh water on the table. "It's a big part of it, so yes, it will come up. Eat now, we still have much to do today."


	2. The Silvanimus

_Chapter 2: The Silvanimus_

_**Spring 1987**_

Once they were done with their meal, Snape made Harry help with drying the utensils they had used. After the kitchen was once again tidy, the man lead the way back to the front hall and then to a large but cosy living room. Harry remained standing at the door, not really sure where he was allowed to sit. Snape noticed and pointed to the soft-looking couch. "Come sit down, child."

The boy walked closer to the couch and sank into it. "My name is Harry."

The man looked slightly amused. "Yes, I'm aware."

The boy blinked. "You know? I didn't tell you!"

Severus leaned against the armchair he was sitting in. "There are many ways to find out someone's name. In this instance it was hardly necessary since I've been expecting you. Even though I have to admit I didn't think we would meet until you were nine at least."

Harry frowned. "You were waiting for me? But then, why didn't you come get me?"

There was a small trace of hurt in the child's voice. Even though he barely knew the man he was sure he would have been better taken care of here than at the hands of his loving relatives. Severus shook his head slightly.

"I didn't know where you were, I just met you once as a small baby and knew that one day you would be coming here, just like my kind always knows when someone is born to join them."

Harry's frown didn't diminish, the man was confusing him. "I don't understand."

Severus made himself comfortable against the armchair. "It's a bit complicated, mostly because you probably don't know much about yourself."

Harry's frown changed into a slight pout. "I know things about myself!"

Snape nodded with a small smile. "Yes, of course you do, but I doubt your relatives were truthful about your origins, or about your parents."

A slight resentful look entered the boy's eyes. "I know my father was a drunkard and that he killed himself and my mother in a car crash."

Black eyes widened slightly, before he shook his head sadly. "Your relatives are even fouler than I had thought, to tell you such lies."

Harry jumped up from his seat. "They are not lies, they have always told me..."

Severus' eyes narrowed, a scowl appearing on his face. "Sit down, now!"

Harry cringed at the sharp tone. The man hadn't even raised his voice but his expression told Harry that he better obey. "I'm sorry, Sir."

Snape scowl didn't lessen. "You will not raise your voice to me, if you don't agree to what I'm saying you are free to tell me so in a civilised way else I will send you to your room until you're ready to discuss things rationally. Understood?"

Harry bowed his head slightly. "Yes, sir." Inwardly he was confused. The concept that he was allowed to disagree on something was completely foreign to him. Also, the implication that the other man would listen to his opinion on any matter as long as he was able to expose it rationally amazed him. No one had ever given a damn about what he thought. He would have to think very carefully about what he said from now on, he didn't want to lose this privilege and neither did he want the man to think he was not able to have an opinion of his own.

"Anyway, lets continue. I knew your parents fairly well, I taught at their school when they attended."

Harry's eyes widened. "You knew them?"

The question held such a degree of longing that the last traces of annoyance left Severus. "Yes, child. Your father and I didn't get along. He was a troublemaker, loved to play pranks on his classmates and I had to try and reign him in. You mother, on the other hand was one of the best students I have ever had in class. We shared many evenings discussing the finer points of my teaching during her last year at school. That is also how I met you, she took you to me once, just after you had been born, so I could see you and then I knew you would come to me one day."

Harry scratched his hair. "I'm still confused about that. Why were you so sure I would come? I didn't even know the Dursley were going to allow me to come to this trip."

Severus chuckled slightly. "Even if you hadn't gone to that school trip of yours, you would have come, maybe in a month or two, who knows. Anyway, I'm going to try and explain, you're probably not going to believe me at first but I ask that you hear everything I have to say before asking anything. All right?"

Harry sighed and nodded. "Yes, sir."

Severus looked intently over the child, wondering what his reaction was going to be like. "Firstly you have to know that your world is not the only one that exists on this Earth, there are other worlds that coexist with yours without muggles, meaning normal people, knowing about them. One of these worlds is the wizarding world. There are people around that can use magic, they live in their own cities or hidden from the view of the muggles. Two muggles can have a child and this child may be born a wizard, no one knows exactly how such a thing works, but it's an accepted fact. The contrary is also true, two wizards may have a child without an ounce of magic, which is what they call a squib. Now, your parents were both wizards. Your father came from a long line of witches and wizards that still now has a large influence over our world even though you are its last member. Your mother, on the other hand, was born of two muggles and was the only one in the family with any kind of magical power. Your aunt probably resented her because either she couldn't do magic o because she didn't understand her."

Harry was looking at the other man with wide eyes. This hardly could be. How was he supposed to believe wizards existed. They were just part of children books, weren't they? He was dying to ask for some proof about the existence of magic, but he remembered the promise he had made and remained quiet. Noticing his restlessness, Severus took out a thin piece of wood. "This is what they call a wand. Do you want something to drink?"

Harry blinked and nodded slightly, unable to form any words at the moment. The tall man waved his wand and muttered something softly. In an instant a tray with two steaming cups appeared on the table in front of the couch. Severus watched in amusement as the child looked at the service with a distrustful gaze before reaching out to touch one of the cups with a finger.

Harry quickly drew his hand back when he felt the warmth coming from the steaming cup. "It's warm."

Severus laughed very softly. "Of course it is, you don't take your chocolate cold, do you?"

The boy looked up at him. "I've never drunk chocolate before, but Dudley says it's the best thing in the world."

The wizard pressed his lips slightly and motioned towards the tray. "Time to try it out, then."

Harry gazed back towards the cups and hesitantly took one in his hands, he was half afraid it would disappear as soon as he touched it, but the cup remained solid. He took a small sip of the dark, brown liquid and sighed in pleasure. It tasted sweet and it chased down the chill that had yet to leave him since he had entered the house. Severus waited for a few moments, until the child's eyes opened once again and looked up at him.

"I trust you like it, then?"

Harry nodded quickly. "It's the best thing I've ever drunk."

Severus refrained from commenting "Now that I've shown you that magic does exist, lets move onward. As I said the magical world exists separated from the muggle world, but it is not the only other world. Sometimes, from a magical couple a special wizard or witch is born, these special people are called the protectors by the wizarding world and they know very little about them. For the first few years, nothing distinguishes these children from other magical children, except, perhaps, an exceedingly tendency to perform accidental magic. Around their tenth anniversary, the children have their First awakening. They become aware that there is something more going on with them and feel themselves drawn to their mentors. That is what happened to you today. You were born to be a protector and I knew, as soon as I saw you, that you would be in my care as you, like me, are a Silvanimus."

Harry wore a glazy look in his eyes that told Severus that the boy was not taking much in, but he decided it was preferable to continue even though he might have to go over everything a few more times at a later date. "Protectors are divided in a few categories depending on the affinity they show for the six points of power which are water, air, earth, fire, light and darkness. You, just like me, are drawn to the earth more than any of the other points and so you belong to the Silvanimus. During the first awakening of a Silvanimus, the need to be in contact with a forest is all consuming and rather dangerous, if you remain too long in contact with it, it will start to draw on your magic and in the end you will become one with it, losing all your own identity as the forest feeds on your power until you die. This is why you felt so poorly when we entered. This house is protected against the drain the forest has on you but it also cuts down the connection that all Silvanimus need to grow. It is a very delicate balance, you need the forest to survive but it will kill you if you don't remain in control."

The glazed look in Harry's eyes had turned to fear at the man's words. Severus shook his head slightly. "There's no need to be afraid, it is my job to keep the balance for you while you learn to do it yourself. It will take a few years for you to do so, and during that time you will remain here, in my care, learning everything that being a protector implies, our ways and our customs. Now, I think you've had enough information for today, I doubt you'd be able to take much more in. So, how about I take you to your room and we leave the questions for tomorrow?"

Harry nodded and stood up. He was more than ready to go to bed. The information the man had given him was overwhelming him and he would have been tempted to call the man insane if he hadn't felt for himself how the forest had affected him. Severus didn't comment this time about the voiceless answer, he just walked out of the room and motioned the boy to follow him. He had already had a few apprentices in his live, and even though he had not been expecting Harry for a few years yet, he had kept the room his apprentices always used clean. If he had learned something about the children in his care was that they never did what you expected them to do so having Harry here two years earlier than he had expected was not that much of a surprise. A chocked gasp came from behind him as soon as he opened the door and he turned just in time to see Harry stumble back, away from the opened door, a look of fear on his face. Severus quickly leaned down and scooped the child up in his arms. Harry fought him, the fear that filled him giving him strength despite the obvious tiredness he was feeling.

Severus really had to admire the boy. The apprentice room was spelled to allow a bit of the forest's magic to enter through the walls, it was in no way enough to hurt but it was so that the apprentice would grow used to the feeling and also to comfort him after a hard day when the child may not be inclined to search him out for comfort. Harry was obviously feeling the magic strongly, and any other apprentice would have surrendered to it at once and run into the room just after his awakening. And yet this child was fighting the feeling with everything he was worth, trying to get away from something that he knew might pose a danger to him. Were he got such a strength, Severus didn't know, but he was sure that this one was going to give him many problems.

"Calm down."

Just like before, Harry felt himself go limp at the other man's voice. It was strange, Severus didn't offer any reassurance, he didn't try to explain, he just told him to calm down and Harry found himself doing so. He was sure it had something to do with being a Silvanimus but was too tired to try and figure it out.

Severus shifted him slightly so that the child was pressed against his chest, head slightly tucked into his shoulder. "There's no need to be so afraid. I told you I would protect you from the dangers of the forest. This room has been occupied by my apprentices before and none of them have ever been harmed by it."

Harry shivered slightly. "I'm feeling the forest."

The taller man nodded slightly. "You need to feel the connection from time to time, child. Being near me is enough for a few hours, but like a child needs to feed to grow strong, you need to feel the forest itself to be able to develop your potential. This room will allow you to be in contact with the forest's magic. Should there ever be the need, there are charms in place to close down the connection."

Harry looked to the blackness behind the door. "Has it happened?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Yes, it has, not very often, but it has. It will probably happen to you at least once while you are here."

That answer didn't reassure the child at all and he pressed himself closer to the tall man. "Can't I get another room?"

The tall Silvanimus rolled his eyes slightly. "Harry, nothing is going to happen, the only instances the forest has tried to draw magic from one of my apprentices has been when they were too tired to counteract it. You all have natural defences against the forest, it's only when you are extremely exhausted that they might slip and put you in danger. I am usually able to notice when you are that tired and you will not be sleeping anywhere near that room if it happens. But I can't always judge the situation properly, often because the apprentice tends to downplay just how tired he is. That's one of the reasons I demand full honesty from you. I assure you that if something happens because you were not truthful, the drain on your magic will be nothing like the punishment you will get from me, understood?"

When no answer came from the child, Severus was forced to draw the boy away a bit. He couldn't suppress a chuckle when he saw the child was completely out of it. He would have to remember to repeat what he had said tomorrow. Each time he took an apprentice he hopped he would never find himself in a situation to have to break the bond between the apprentice and the forest, but till now it had always happened at least once. He counted himself lucky that the process was quite distressing to the child, making sure that it didn't happen again in most cases.

Stepping into the room, the lights started to shine softly, showing a room painted in greens and dark browns. He quietly moved towards the bed and deposited his slight charge on the fluffy pillows. a soft word and a wave of his wand and Harry was dressed in dark green pyjamas. He would need to buy the boy some clothes, from what he had heard from the Dursley, he doubted they had taken care of such mundane things as proper clothing. Shaking his head, driving away thoughts of those muggles, he tucked the boy in. After activating one of the many monitoring charms that were intertwined in the room's walls, he left the room ready to enjoy his last night of relative freedom.


	3. Questions and Answers

_Chapter 3: Questions and answers_

_**Spring 1987**_

Harry awakened slowly there was sun shining on his face, something that had never happened before. Blinking, he found himself looking at a long panelled wall, the wood gleamed under the sun, filling the room with warmth. Shifting, Harry moved till he was lying on his back, not really processing what he was seeing. Surely he was still asleep and dreaming of such a wonderful place. His thoughts were interrupted when a heavy fist fell on the door.

"Harry, get up now!"

Sitting up in bed sharply, the boy realised he was not trapped in a dream but he was really there. Looking around, his mouth became slack at the sight that met his eyes. The room was not very large but compared to his cupboard it was wonderful. The bed he was sitting on was to one side of the room, against the wall he had seen upon waking, on the other side, the room expanded towards a whole wall of windows that showed a very clear sight of the forest. just in front of it was a large desk with a comfortable looking chair in front of it. On the third wall was a very large bookcase filled with numerous books. They looked like they had been used often and clearly showed he was not the first one to occupy this room. A dark leathered chair was standing next to the bookcase, with a tall lamp at its other side. Whenever he had dared to imagine a room for his own he had imagined it filled with toys and books, it certainly didn't look like this one. And yet, he knew he would come to love this room that had been given to him so unexpectedly.

Another yell of Harry, now coming from farther away, shook him out of his thoughts and finally made him move from the bed. On the floor, next to where his feet landed, a pair of soft house shoes were waiting for him. Assuming Severus wouldn't have left them there if he was not able to use them, Harry put them on and moved towards one of the three doors that occupied the fourth wall of the room. The left one opened to the hall which, he assumed, led to the rest of the house. The middle one was a bathroom, which Harry promptly used to deal with his own needs. Once he had taken a quick shower, remembering Severus was waiting for him, he turned to the third door. It was clearly a closet but it was empty. Harry frowned slightly and looked around the room. His clothes from the day before were nowhere in sight but he could not go out there in his pyjamas. Shaking his head and knowing the other Silvanimus was waiting for him, he decided he didn't have much choice in the matter. He would have to go down as he was and hope the Professor was not too angry at him. He stepped back to the first door and stepped outside. He stopped short once he set foot in the hallway. The same emptiness of the day before filled him, he was sure he would not be able to advance another step because he knew the feeling would only grow worse. But he also remembered Severus' words. That remembrance gave him strength and he tore down the hall and down the stairs, running as if demons from hell itself were running after him. He burst into the kitchen panting from the exertion and fighting to contain the tears that threatened to fall at the emptiness that filled his very soul.

Severus was hidden behind a paper when his charge entered. Breakfast was not even served but he knew they would have to delay even longer as the child ran into the kitchen. He gave Harry a moment to catch his breath before calmly speaking, not even looking from behind the paper. "I will not have you running around this house as if it was a play ground. Go back to your room and walk back here at a normal pace."

The boy nearly crumbled at those words. They had been spoken sternly and left no room for argument, and yet, he didn't know if he had the strength to do it again. To leave that room at a normal pace would be nothing short of torture, but the other man was not giving him a choice, as if not noticing what it would cost him. Turning around, Harry walked up the stairs, feeling the room growing closer. He knew he was doing the easy part. Going back up was wonderful, the warmth filling him again, welcoming him back with open arms and making him dread the fact that he would have to leave it yet again. The thought of not fulfilling the man's wishes didn't even cross his mind. He entered his room and leaned against the door. For just a few moments he leant there, drawing strength but knowing he could not delay the inevitable. With trembling hands he opened the door for the second time this morning. Closing his eyes tightly, he opened the door and stepped outside. This time he decided it might be better to close the door first instead of just running out of it. The moment the door closed, the feeling of coldness filled him again, making him moan in distress.

He was sure he would not be able to walk farther away. He needed to stay near that door, he knew he would die if he stepped farther away from it. Shaking his head, he tried to fight against those feelings and against the tears that started to fall from his eyes. Severus had told him about the dangers, he knew he had to fight against the feeling, but it was so hard. Sobbing softly, Harry finally took his hand away from the door and started the long trek towards the kitchen. It took him ages to reach the stairs that led down. He was trembling by the time he was there, coldness filling him from top to toe and yet knowing he would have to continue. The other man was waiting for him and if the Dursley had taught him something it was that you didn't leave your guardian waiting for you. He nearly fell down the stairs, blinded by tears as he was, but his dead grip on the rail prevented the fall. The moment he stepped into the kitchen for the second time that morning, he collapsed, his strength and resolve gone as he gave in to the grieve filling him. And then strong arms enveloped him, returning some of the warmth that he had lost in the long way from his room to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

The trembling and sobbing wouldn't stop. But the arms holding him just rocked him slightly, tucking him closely to a firm chest.

"Shh, it's all right."

Harry didn't know how long he remained in Severus' arms, soaking the man's warmth as if he was the sun itself. It might have been hours when Harry finally took his head away from Severus' shoulder and timidly looked up at the man's eyes, expecting to see disapproval at his own weakness reflected in them. But that was not what he saw. He was not sure what the other man was feeling, but it was not displeasure, he had seen that in all kind of forms from the Dursley.

"I'm sorry, sir."

Severus didn't let him go and instead went to sit in the chair he had been occupying before and tucked him in his lap. Harry didn't complain. He knew he was too old for this but he still was trembling from the loss of the forest's influence and being close to the other man made it better. Severus finally spoke, all sternness from before gone from his voice.

"You did very well, child. I didn't really think you would be able to make it."

Harry looked up in confusion. "I don't understand."

Snape chuckled and gently drew the sweaty hair away from the boy's forehead. "It does you no good to try and run from the feelings the forest's magic invokes in you, you need to fight them from the beginning, establishing that you are the dominant party there. Running from your room to escape those feelings are not helping you in the least, so you are expected to come down here walking even though you may end up crying in my arms for half an hour after that."

Harry blinked. "It was a test?"

The Professor raised an eyebrow. "If you wish to consider it so, then yes, although you are strictly forbidden to run within this house no matter where you go." Placing Harry on a nearby chair with an easy movement, Severus stood up. "And I believe you have earned a good breakfast now."

Harry jumped up when the Professor started to move around the kitchen. "I can make breakfast, there's no need for you to do that, sir."

Severus turned around, a small frown in his dark eyes. Harry shifted slightly from his place next to the chair as the dark gaze ran over him. The older man finally shook his head slightly and turned around. "Sit back down, child."

"But..."

The older man didn't even turn around and his voice sounded a bit sterner as he stopped his words short. "Don't argue."

Harry clamped his lips shut and retook his place at the table. Now that he was no longer feeling so wretched from his two trips through hell he was starting to feel confused again. This man was a mystery to him. He was just as stern or even sterner than his Uncle had been, he expected to be obeyed in the same way and seemed to be ready for punishing him at the slightest sign of disobedience, he had made that clear a few times already. And yet he was his Uncle's total opposite in other matters. He had comforted him three times already, he had explained things no one had told him before and he was very clear in what he expected him to do. Uncle Vernon always told him he was doing something wrong when it was already too late to correct it. The professor, on the other hand, was telling him what he wanted from him and if he did something the man didn't like he told him so. He didn't doubt that if he was caught running around the house again the punishment would be severe, but he had not been punished for doing it this morning, when he still didn't know it was against the man's rules. Harry shivered slightly. Or maybe he had been punished. Having to go back certainly had been bad enough.

"Are you still cold?"

Harry looked up startled and saw that the older man was looking down at him with two steaming plates filled with eggs and bacon in his hands. "Just a bit, sir."

Severus nodded and put his plate in front of him, turning around to fetch two glasses and a can of milk. "That's to be expected, you'll feel cold for a while after leaving your room. It is perfectly normal to do so, I suggest that from now on you take a robe with you when you come down for breakfast."

Harry flushed slightly, suddenly remembering he was still dressed in his pyjamas. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't have any clothes here and didn't find anything better to get dressed in."

Snape sat down next to him. "I was not chastising you, on weekends you can come down in your pyjamas if you wish to. As for your lack of clothes, we're going to take care of that this evening, after we've talked some more." The man nodded towards the plate. "Eat up now, I'm sure you're hungry."

They ate in silence, Harry was not very hungry as he had already eaten the night before and he was certainly not used to eat another meal so soon after that. If Severus noticed his lack of appetite he didn't mention the fact, only glancing briefly at the half full plate when Harry put his fork down.

After the older Silvanimus had put everything away, they returned to the same sitting room they had been in the day before.

"I'm sure you have many questions, go ahead and ask them."

Harry hesitated for a few moments. If he had learned something at his relatives it was the questions were not allowed, but the taller man was obviously waiting for him to talk, so he didn't really have a choice in the matter. "You said I was in your care now, right? Does that mean I get to stay here? And for how long?"

Severus raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised that that was the child's first question. "As soon as a protector has gone through his or her first awakening guardianship is immediately transferred to their mentor, as I am your mentor you will stay with me until you come of age."

Harry frowned. "Why are you my mentor, I mean, who told you you had to be?"

The older man smiled slightly. "No one told me I had to be your mentor. No one forced me into this if that is what you're asking. It is simply in our nature and in our culture to teach the young ones. You have noticed yourself that the first years of being a protector are very hard, every youngling needs someone to help them control the magics that fight within them, else they would most probably die. To be able to help a youngling, his mentor needs to be a close match to his apprentice, being it by power level, character, views and every other aspect you might come up. To choose a wrong mentor for a youngling may easily result in the death of both."

Harry looked up slightly fearfully. "Does it happen often? If it's that important who decides who the mentor is going to be?"

"It does not happen very often, and a mentor can easily tell when his match with the apprentice is not good enough. As for choosing, our ancestors put quite a few charms on our species that help with that. Each time a youngling is born, the wards that are over our entire race activate and scan everyone to find the best match. Once the mentor is found, the magic lets him know that a youngling is on his way and that in nine or ten years he will have an apprentice."

The child blinked. "So, when I was born you knew you would get an apprentice?"

Severus nodded. "Yes, I didn't really know who you were, but the bond between us started to form as soon as you took your first breath. It is quite strange for a mentor to meet their future aprentice before the child is ready to start his training, it really does not happen that often and I was quite surprised when I sensed you so close by when Lily brought you to me. It's a remarkable experience that may also explain your early awakening."

Harry frowned in thought. "You keep saying something about a first awakening. What is that? And are there more?"

The older man summoned a tea tray and served himself a hot cup of tea, nodding to Harry and indicating he was allowed to do the same. "The first awakening is when a child first comes aware of the special tie that unites him to a special point of magic. In our case that is the earth magic. It also tells the mentor that the time has come for him to take the apprentice in. During the next few months the mentor looks for his apprentice, and the apprentice will find himself looking for his mentor even though it is not a conscious effort. Once they finally meet, the mentor will talk with the child's family about what will happen next."

Harry's frown increased. "You haven't talked to the Dursley."

Severus sipped his cup, aware of the wariness his charge was feeling. "That is one of the many things we have to do today."

Harry shivered in fear, he had held the hope he would never have to see his Uncle again but he really should have known better. "What if they say I can't stay here?"

The older man was watching his young charge carefully, from the moment he had seen him he had known that there was something not quite right with the boy's family, there were many signs pointing towards it, but he had decided not to press for answers. He decided to leave the matter for a little while longer, he would prefer to see what happened before he decided what he had to do. "Then it would rest upon me to make the decision whether your family is right or not. It does not often come to that, but if the child's parents are completely against it, the mentor may sever the bond."

Harry was trembling and he knew his face was white. He knew he should not have given into hope, he knew things were not going to work out for him, they never did. The Dursley were not going to allow him to go anywhere and Severus would cut the bond just now that he had discovered it.

The older man had narrowed his eyes, he had not intended to terrify his charge. Sometimes he really should think a bit more carefully about what he said, but he was absolutely against lying to any of his apprentices. In his thoughts, if he demanded absolute honesty from them then they were entitled to receive the same from him. Standing up, he moved to the couch hi charge was sitting on. He didn't touch the curled up boy, sensing that it would do more harm than good at that moment.

"Calm down, child, there is no need to be so scared."

There was something in the man's voice that soothed him, Harry found that the raising panic subsided and that he was able to breath more normally now that the man had spoken. "How do you do that?"

Severus smiled slightly. "The Silvanimus have many special abilities, usually we excel in a few of them only. This one is one of the ones I excel in. Care to take a guess to what it does?"

Harry frowned all thoughts about the Dursley forgotten for now. "It's as if, when you talk there's something telling me I'm safe, that nothing is going to happen, and that everything will be all right if I just do as you say."

The older man nodded solemnly. "That's what another Silvanimus would sense, yes. Other people would not react so strongly to my voice. I am able to embed some of my magic in my voice. Animals are specially sensitive to this and it becomes very useful when I come across injured animals or to predators. As a Silvanimus, one of our main duties is to veil for the safety of the forests and every being that lives within them, injured animals are often dangerous to approach but without help they may die. So, I use my voice magic to calm the animal down so that it will let me help him."

Harry looked up curiously. "And what about me?"

The tall man chuckled slightly. "Apprentices are naturally inclined to do as their mentor says, specially for the first year, the voice magic only enhances you natural tendency to listen to me."

The child frowned slightly. "Will it always be like that?"

Severus snorted. "Unfortunately for me, no. With a bit of practice you'll learn soon enough to override my voice magic if you wish to. I don't use my ability lightly and the moment you fight the pull of my voice I will retreat unless there exists a real danger and I absolutely need you to obey me on something you don't wish to. But there is no need to dwell on such things, they will come up on their own soon enough." Not moving from his seat next to his apprentice, the older man settled down more comfortably. "So, do you have any other questions?"

Harry nodded slightly. "Have you had many other apprentices?"

The older man raised an eyebrow. "Three before you."

"And can you have two at the same time?"

Severus shook his head forcefully. "Not a chance, it's already difficult enough to manage one, believe me, I would not be able to manage more than one at a time."

Harry smiled slightly. The man looked like he would flee at the mere thought of having more than one child in his care. "Will I ever meet any of your other apprentices?"

"Who knows. It's not probable that you'll ever meet Marcus. He was my first apprentice and he left England a very long time ago. I barely hear from him any more. You may meet Brian, he still comes to talk to me from time to time but he never stays still in one place so he could appear here tomorrow or three years from now, one never knows with that boy. And Alice..." A sad look entered the Silvanimus' dark eyes. "We can go visit her some day if you want to meet her, but she is not longer really there. Evil wizards tried to kill her and her husband. They drove her insane and broke her mind. I had to sever her connection to the forest or she would have died... maybe I shouldn't have."

Harry bit his lip, he had not meant to drag up bad memories. "I'm sorry."

Severus blinked and looked down at the small boy sitting next to him. "Don't worry, it's hardly your fault, you couldn't have known. Anyway, what else do you want to know?"

Harry shrugged slightly, having a lot of questions but not really able to put them into words at the moment. "Nothing right now, sir."

The older man nodded and stood up. "Very well then, we have many things to do, so get ready to go out."

Before the other man had the chance to leave, Harry jumped up. "Professor! What am I supposed to wear?"

Severus motioned upstairs with a wave of his hand. "I'm going to find something for you, there's a bathroom at the end of the hall, I'll leave your clothes there while you take your shower. No need to go up to your room, we have too many things to do right now for you to have to fight the forest again today."

The child nodded relieved as he watched the other man disappear up the stairs. The simple thought of having to go back up had filled him with dread and he was happy the man had found another solution. Things were going to get interesting from now on, he could feel it. And he hoped deep down that everything would go all right.


	4. Visiting the Dursley

_Chapter 4: Visiting the Dursley_

**Spring 1987**

Harry had to fight the need to cling to the other man as they approached the Dursley residence. He wanted to beg the Professor to get them the hell out of here but he doubted the other man would relent. As they finally entered the garden, Harry gave in to the impulse and stepped behind the older man. That caused Severus to stop and turn around slightly so he could regard his charge.

"Do you really think it's necessary to hide behind me? I'm sure that while angry, your relatives will be relieved to see that you are safe."

Harry emphatically shook his head yes and then no, he knew damn well that his relatives were going to hate seeing him again and that, given the chance, he would pay the price for being back. He fervently hoped the other man would help him if things came to that.

Sighing, Severus returned his gaze to the house and finished walking the few steps to the door. The child, still walking closely behind him was nearly shaking in fear which made him reconsider the wisdom of bringing him. On one hand it could be that the boy was being melodramatic, after all any child would be reluctant to face his relatives after consciously getting away from a field trip, on the other hand the boy's responses till now had put him on edge, there was something that he didn't quite like about the boy's family, and he hadn't even met them. Tossing those thoughts aside, he rang the bell, there was no sense in delaying this meeting.

The woman that opened the door made him stare in surprise. For one, she didn't look anything like Lily had done, and for another, the feelings coming from her were not the ones he would associate to a worried and anxious parent that was missing a child. Instead, she was fairly vibrating with joy and happiness. Maybe he had gotten the wrong house?

"Mrs. Dursley?"

The woman looked him over curiously. He was wearing a long, black coat over his pressed dress pants and clear shirt. His long hair was neatly combed and hold together with a thin strip of black leather. He looked rather imposing where he stood and there was no chance she would notice the small child that was now gripping his coat, much to his annoyance.

"Yes?"

So he wasn't wrong. "I'm here to talk about your nephew."

The woman's face transformed completely to an ugly grimace which she tried to contain but wasn't very successful. "Did you find the body then?"

Severus' face became emotionless as he felt the child behind him tremble slightly. "No, madam, I have other things I wish to talk to you, is your husband home?"

The woman nodded and turned around, leaving the door open for him to follow her. Instead of doing so he turned slightly so he could see the child still hiding behind him. "Why don't you go to your room? I'll come and get you once I'm done talking to your relatives."

Harry flinched slightly, he had hopped to never see his cupboard again, but if he had to chose between seeing his uncle and his cupboard he would take the second one any day. Severus stepped inside and immediately went to the living room, not noticing when Harry opened a small door and entered the tinny cupboard that had been his room for more than five years.

Severus looked impassively at the fat man glaring up at him. Vernon had not even stood up to greet him, something which annoyed the Silvanimus greatly.

"We don't want to know anything about the boy, if you've found him you may keep him, it's not like we want him."

The other man narrowed his eyes slightly. So, the boy had been right about his relatives not being happy to see him at all. "One would think that you would be more careful about saying such things about a child entrusted into your care, after all, if social services found out, you would be nicely locked away for child neglect, at the very least."

Severus's voice was soft and very dangerous, it made the other man tremble in fear. The Silvanimus didn't often use his voice magic to induce fear, but he felt that the situation warranted it. Not giving the other man a chance to answer, he took out some papers he had collected the night before from his vault at Gringots. "Luckily for you, I am here to take the child's care away from you. These papers were drafted by Harry's mother. They will grant me guardianship over the child the moment I ask for it. The only think I need is the signature of the child's current guardians. So, either you sign willingly or I take you to court."

Vernon looked closely at the stranger, he didn't seem like a nice man, there was something cold and cruel in those black eyes and thin lipped mouth, but he really couldn't care less about the boy, so he just drew a pen and motioned to the man. "Where do I need to sign?"

Barely able to believe this man would sign over his nephew to a complete strange, Severus held out the papers and showed them where they both needed to sign. Once the deed was done, Severus put the papers away so he could take them to the ministry at a later date.

"If you ever wish to see..."

Vernon cut his words with a wave of his hand. "There is no chance of that, we're not fond of the boy and I don't doubt his feelings are of the same nature, just take him away and keep him where he belongs."

If Severus hadn't been so sure the man was completely unable to think of anyone but himself, he would have believed he cared a bit about the child. Shacking his head, he walked out of the sitting room, more than ready to leave the blasted house. He paused when he saw his charge's legs sticking from a small cupboard, just under the stairs.

"I thought I told you to go to your room."

His stern voice startled the child that immediately stepped out, nearly banging his head against the door. The boy was stammering an apology, but Severus barely listened to him. Instead his gaze was trained to the small pallet placed inside the closet. He could barely believe what his mind was telling him, surely those people had not locked the child in here. But a closer look at the cupboard showed clear signs that a child had been residing in here.

"Sir? Can we go now?"

Severus snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look towards his charge. He had a small school back in his hands and looked quite uncomfortable standing there. "Is this your room?"

Harry hesitated, but one stern look from the other man had him nodding his head quickly. "Yes, sir."

The Silvanimus pressed his lips together, now was not the moment, but he would find some way to repay the Dursley for they abysmal care of his apprentice. "What do you have in that bag?"

The child blinked and looked down at it. "Just some clothes, sir, I thought I would use them so you don't need to buy them for me."

Severus narrowed his eyes and motioned to the boy. "Let me see."

Reluctantly, the younger man handed over his back only to see as Severus threw his clothes onto the pallet after just glancing at them. When nothing was left in the bag, the man turned towards his confused apprentice. "Do you want to keep the bag?"

Harry shook his head slowly. "Not really, sir."

Nodding, the older man tossed the bag onto the pallet and started to push the boy towards the door.

"But, sir..."

"You are not going to wear those rags while under my care, you will have proper new clothes, that fit you and that have been bought for you. Understood?"

"But clothes are expensive!"

Severus closed the Dursley's front door after them. "That is not your concern but mine, and I didn't ask if you agreed, I asked if you understood."

Resigned, Harry shook his head at his new guardian. "Yes, sir. So, I'm going to be staying with you from now on?"

The older man snorted slightly. "Of course you are."

The boy smiled slightly, a happy light starting to shine in his green eyes as he followed the other man down the street.

Severus quickly lead them to the park they had arrived before, Harry had to nearly run so he could keep up with the man's long strides. Once the Silvanimus had led them over to a secluded part of the park, he looked towards a tree. Harry could not help but wonder when he would learn to do that as a small portal appeared at the tree's trunk. Snape took his hand into his larger one, and just as they had done that morning, they stepped through the trunk, only to reappear somewhere else.

Harry looked around the busy street, it was a wonder no one had noticed them. He felt his hand being tugged and started to follow the other man. For a moment he thought he should complain about the other man holding his hand as if he were a baby, but with the large crowd surrounding them he was afraid he would lose the other man if he let go. Finally, Severus pushed him into a store, where he could finally see something else besides other people surrounding him. An old woman approached them, a small smile on her face.

"It's been a long time since you graced me with your presence, Severus."

The older man rolled his eyes slightly and bent so he could kiss he check. "You know I don't like coming into London, Madeleine. I hate the crowds."

The woman shook her head. "You would get used to it if you came more often." Not giving the man a chance to answer, she turned to where Harry was standing, looking curiously around. "So, you've got another apprentice. He looks much younger than your previous ones."

Severus turned to his charge. "Yes, this is Harry. Harry, this is Madam Phyana, she's an old friend of mine."

Harry nodded slightly. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

Madeleine smiled slightly. "It is always a pleasure to meet Severus' apprentices, it's good to know he's not wasting away on his own in that cottage of his."

The Silvanimus shook his head in exasperation but chose not to reply instead turning to the boy still standing at his side. "Harry, Madam Phyana here owns this shop and she is going to help you out in picking your new clothes, I have other errands to run and will be back as soon as I'm finished." A steely glint entered his dark eyes. "You are going to wait here for me and not give the Madam any problems, understood."

Harry nodded slightly. "Yes, sir." He was sure the man would be very unhappy if he didn't obey. He guessed the stern reminder had more to do with his reluctance about the clothes than with an actual fear that Harry would leave the store without him. As if he would do such a thing now that someone was bothering to take care of him.

Two hours later, Harry was seriously considering disobeying his guardian. He was sick of getting in and out of clothes and just when he thought they were done, the woman remembered he still needed something else and they started from scratch. If it hadn't been for Severus' stern reminder to behave, Harry would have told the woman where she could put her clothes. After all, it was not like he needed that many things, a few jeans and some t-shirts would have been more than enough.

Severus entered the room and nearly laughed at his charge's frustrated look as Madam Phyana rushed into the room with a stack of pyjamas, despite the fact that there were at least ten other models already lying around. He had not meant to stay away for so long, but his errands had taken longer that he had expected. He would need to remember to do something to reward his apprentice for his patience.

"I see you're nearly done."

Harry's head snapped up and he shoot his guardian a desperate look. He needed to get out of there or he was going to explode and say something very rude to the woman.

Madeleine, not noticing her customers frustration smiled at his friend. "Severus! There was no need to hurry so much, Harry still needs to try on these pyjamas."

Having trouble restraining a smirk at his charges horrified look, he shook his head. "I'm sure Harry is quite happy with some of these pyjamas lying around. He has tried them on, hasn't he?"

Madeleine blinked and looked down at the items in question. "O, yes, he has, are you sure they are the right ones?"

Severus had to refrain rolling his eyes. Honestly, they were pyjamas, no one but the boy would see them. "Yes, they will do. Has Harry behaved?"

The child shot him a short glare and started to pout slightly, making Severus shake his head in amusement. Madeleine smiled softly. "Of course he has, he's been an angel."

The Silvanimus nodded and motioned to the large stack of clothes. "Why don't you get dressed in some of these, Harry, while Madam Phyana and I take care of the rest."

Gratefully, Harry stepped towards the huge pile of clothes and, barely looking, he selected the first pair of pants and the first long sleeved t-shirt that he saw and left the room to get dressed.

Twenty minutes later, they left the store. Harry was more than ready to go home, but Severus said they still needed to make one more stop. He led the boy towards a very large book store. Instead of browsing the selection, he went immediately to the counter. The woman standing there seemed to recognised for she greeted him and immediately went to retrieve something from the back of the store. Harry looked curiously around as Severus arranged his purchases. He hadn't been to a book shop often. Petunia and Vernon thought it was a waste to spend their money on books and Dudley hardly helped since he tore apart any book he was given, including his school books. The boy didn't seem to understand the necessity of school books, and his parents had yet to try and explain it to him.

He realized he had been zoning out when Severus shook his shoulder slightly. "Come on, Harry."

The boy blinked and looked up to his tall guardian. The man was carrying a stack of books and a few plastic bags.

"Do you want me to help you carry something?"

Severus looked at him sideways as they stepped outside. "There's no need."

Before Harry had the chance to reply, Severus started to walk. The boy was happy he was not carrying anything as he had trouble enough keeping up with his guardian's long steps without the added weight. They were walking towards the park they had appeared in when Severus suddenly vanished from his side. Before Harry could panic, the man had returned, without the packages. That was when the boy noticed he hadn't seen any of his new clothes either.

"Where..."

The older man smiled slightly and patted his pocked. "A simple matter of a shrinking charm, much easier to carry that way."

Harry looked slightly amazed. "Will I be able to do that."

The older man nodded. "Of course you will, in a few years."


	5. A new school

_Chapter 5: A new school_

_**Spring 1987**_

It had been two weeks since Harry had arrived at the Silvanimus' house. Those two weeks had been spent with daily exercises on how to diminish the forest's influence on him and lectures on the most basic things any protector new. To say that the lessons had been difficult would have been an understatement. As the days passed, Harry became more and more convinced that the forest was not something to be trifled with. Leaving his room always left him shaky and close to tears, it was a struggle getting up each morning, not so much because of the early hour he was expected to raise but more because of the dread he felt at the thought that he would need to leave the room. Severus was always patient with him during those moments, offering comfort and shooting words. And yet, the man was as demanding as Harry had guessed he was. At the smallest sign that the boy was not fighting at the forest's room as well as was expected from him, the Silvanimus sent him back to his room so he could start again.

After breakfast, Severus would lead him towards a small study. There they started their daily lessons. Harry had been given a schedule and they covered a lot of different things, from History of magic to basic maths. In some lessons it was more like Severus was testing exactly at which level he was at while in others he was supposed to memorise everything the other man told him.

Sometimes, while at the Dursley, Harry had wished he could be home schooled. He had thought it had to be wonderful to just stay at home all day, learning a bit from time to time. Reality was another matter altogether. Severus' attention was always on his work and he was not allowed to zone out at any moment during the man's lectures. The few times that had happened, Severus had stopped the lesson and assigned him lines as punishment. If that was bad, worse was the fact that as soon as he was finished they resumed their lessons and Severus wouldn't allow them to stop until they were finished, no matter if they were late for lunch or dinner. Harry learned very soon that it was better to pay attention, that way he would have a few hours free in the evenings.

But that day things were different. It was Monday and Harry was going to start his new school. The boy had thought that he would just keep having lessons with his guardian but Severus had soon disabused him from that notion. He would only go to classes in the morning while the evenings would be devoted to homework and whatever lessons Severus came up with.

Remembering his old school, Harry was not at all excited about the prospect of going to a new one.

Severus regarded his charge curiously. The boy had not complained much about his demanding lesson schedule, which lead him to think that he didn't mind learning all that much. Indeed, the boy was quite smart and they had covered the most important things much quicker than he had expected. And yet, Severus knew from experience that he was not an easy teacher, all his apprentices before Harry had been happy to only have lessons with him in the evenings, learning from muggle school the rest of the necessary things to round up their education. Harry, on the other hand, looked like he was about to send away. His expression was sober and he was barely eating his breakfast.

"Is there something wrong?"

The child looked up, clearly startled out of his thoughts. "Excuse me?"

Severus sipped his tea. "I asked if there was something wrong."

Harry shrugged slightly but preferred not to answer him. Saying that everything was fine would be a lie, which the man didn't tolerate as he had said many times. On the other hand, he didn't feel like explaining his moodiness to him. While slightly annoyed at his charge' silence, Severus sensed that this was not a matter he could broach while they needed to leave.

"You should go pick your things up, we need to get going, and I doubt you will want to eat that."

Harry looked at the piece of bread he had been mutilating and nodded in agreement. He was not very hungry anyway.

Ten minutes later, Severus transferred them to an empty street. Harry shook his head slightly. The man had not tree jumped, like the other times, instead they had gone the wizarding way, using something Severus called apparating. Walking out of the street they had appeared at, Harry soon saw his new school. It was much smaller than the school he had gone to before and there didn't seem to be many students. Severus had told him there were only five or six students every year which instead of reassuring him, only made him feel worse. He was sure he would just be an outsider, just like he had always been. His only comfort was that there wouldn't be many people to pick on him.

The taller Silvanimus led him to the small building, he could feel the other childrens' curious stared on him, but he did his best to ignore them. They had to walk up two flights of stairs before Severus stopped in front of a classroom. Knocking lightly, the man opened the door and led his apprentice inside.

"Good morning."

A young woman looked up from the papers she had been looking through and smiled at them. Harry looked at her shyly. She was pretty, with wavy black hair and kind blue eyes.

"Good morning, you must be the Snapes."

Severus nodded and pushed Harry slightly in front of him, not taking notice of the boy's reluctance. "Yes, we are, you must be Miss Moran."

The teacher smiled and stood up. "Yes I am, and I'm happy to welcome a new student to the school, there are few enough as it is." She motioned towards one of the individual desks placed in front of the teacher's table. "Why don't you go sit down, the other students are going to get here in a few minutes and I am sure they will want to talk to you. They were all curious to get to know you."

Harry didn't smile, despite the kind words. Instead he turned slightly and looked up at his guardian. Severus looked down at him intently, not really understanding the flat look on the child's eyes. He had expected excitement or maybe nervousness, but there were no emotions at all coming from the boy, which worried him a bit. Maybe they really should have talked about this before. Leaning down slightly, he spoke softly.

"I'm going to pick you up at three, all right? You have lunch packed in your bag."

Harry nodded slightly. Severus pressed his lips slightly. "Answer."

The child blinked. "Sorry, sir. Yes, it's all right."

Seeing there was no sense to remain there, Severus stood up straighter and after nodding goodbye to the woman, he left the classroom. Harry, for his part, sighed and went to sit to the table the woman had indicated. He was sure this was going to be a very long day.

When Severus returned to pick up his charge, he was relieved when he saw him talking with another boy. The other children had already left, but the teacher was still gathering her things. When she saw him, she stopped what she was doing, picked up a few things and motioned towards him.

"Could I talk to you for a minute?"

Severus nodded and after glancing at Harry, who was looking at them warily, they both left the classroom.

"Is Harry in trouble?"

Isabel smiled slightly and shook her head. "Oh, no, the boy behaved himself very well, he's quite polite and after a while, he started to interact with the other children. Although I'm a bit concerned about his reluctance. Most of the time he looks as if he expects something bad to happen. Was he bullied at his previous school?"

Severus blinked. "Truthfully, I don't know, he just came to be into my care and he doesn't easily speak about such things. It would explain about his recent behaviour though. I'll try to talk to him about it."

Miss Moran frowned slightly. "If Harry just got into your care you may not help me answer a question I have then."

Severus raised an eyebrow and accepted the paper she tended to him. It was full of mathematical problems and was written in Harry's messy handwriting. What surprised Severus was that most of them were wrong. He had throughoutly tested the child about his knowledge and he had done much better than that. Looking up at the woman standing in front of him, he raised an eyebrow, clearly asking what had happened.

"We were playing a simple game, I do it often enough as I feel it helps the children learn some of the most difficult concepts. They just make two teams and I pose questions, whichever team finds the answer first gets a point. At the end the team with most points gets a small treat from me. While we were playing, Harry answered quite a few questions for his team, and nearly all of them were correct at his first try. When I put them to solve this sheet I expected much better results from him, than what I see here. And it was not like he was goofing off or being lazy or something like that, with such a small class that is easy to pin-point."

Severus tapped the papers he still held in his hands, a thoughtful frown marring his face. "I don't know what to make of this either, but I will have a talk with the child. I know for a fact that he can do much better than this. The question is, why doesn't he? I'm afraid it might have something to do with his previous guardians." Looking up at the woman, he nodded slightly. "Thank you for informing me of the problem this soon, it will make things much easier to correct."

Isabel smiled softly. "Of course, Mr. Snape, it is part of my job. And Harry is quite a bright child, it would be a pity to have to mark his work when I know he can do much better."

Nodding, they walked back to the classroom where Harry was now sitting on his own.

"Come on, Harry, we're going home."

The boy reluctantly took his bag and went to stand at his guardian's side. The man's face didn't show any emotion, but that didn't mean he was not angry. Harry knew from experience that a private talk with a teacher never lead to anything good. After saying goodbye to the woman, Severus quickly took them home.

Once there, he looked down at the silent child and motioned in the general direction of their classroom.

"Go wait for me in the study, there are things we need to talk about."

Harry cringed slightly, which didn't go unnoticed to Severus. The older man took his time to go change into more comfortable clothes, he had a feeling they were not going to get much done in the matters of work today, but this was more important. Once he entered the study, he saw Harry standing in front of the window, looking outside with a lost look.

"Harry."

The child turned around and immediately went to sit in his own seat. Instead of sitting in the chair behind the desk, Severus waved his wand slightly and conjured a chair just next to Harry's desk. The boy looked warily at his proceedings and tensed even more when he sat down.

Severus took out a paper, which held exactly the same questions as the one he had been given by the woman.

"Answer these questions, please."

Harry hesitated for a long moment, he clearly recognised the questions, but he couldn't help but wonder what he was supposed to do now. During the two weeks he had been there, Severus had always expected the best from him while he gave him lessons, but the Dursley had nearly beaten into him the fact that he couldn't do well in school. It had become such a habit to answer the questions wrong that he barely noticed any more. In the end, he decided that as they were home, he would do as Severus had told him.

Half an hour, Harry looked up from the last question. He had been aware that the other man had been reading everything he wrote down, something which had made him extremely nervous.

Severus, seeing that the boy was done, nodded towards the paper. "Number five and number seventeen are not quite right."

Quickly, Harry returned his attention to the paper, in a few minutes he was able to locate and correct the mistakes.

The tall man then stood up and nodded. "Very good. Now explain this to me, please."

Severus put the other exercises paper in front of the boy. Harry bit his lip, not quite sure what he was supposed to say.

Seeing the boy's problem, the tall Silvanimus changed his question. "Did you answer the questions wrongly on purpose?"

Harry looked down at his tightly clasped hands. "Yes, sir."

"Why would you do something like that when you can just as easily answer them correctly?"

The boy bit his lip anxiously. "I'm not supposed to answer them correctly."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Who said such a thing?"

"Uncle Vernon."

Severus' eyes turned cold at the mention of the muggle, the more he knew about the man, the less he liked him. "Why did he say that? I would have thought your relatives would want you to do well in class."

Harry shook his head slightly. "I'm not allowed to do better than Dudley."

The older man sighed. "And I guess your cousin barely knows how much two times two is." Bending slightly, he forced the child to look up at him. His eyes were no longer cold, but they held a steely glint in them. "I'm not going to repeat this, so listen very well to me. You are expected to do your best at anything you try to do. I don't care if it is lessons, or something more frivolous, you are to do your best always." Straightening, he walked to his own desk. "The first thing we'll do every evening will be review the exercises you did in class. Any question, doubt or misunderstanding will be addressed then. After that you will do your homework to my satisfaction and only after that we'll start with the lessons for the day. If you don't do your best during class you will find yourself with absolutely no free time as it will take us quite some time to go through it again. Understand?"

Despite the stern words, Harry was smiling slightly. For the first time he was being encouraged to do well in class, and although the thought of having anyone who cared about his grades was a bit intimidating, he couldn't help but feel relieved. No longer would the other students laugh at him just because they thought he was stupid.

"Yes, sir."

Severus nodded. "Good. Now, tell me, did you enjoy your day? I'm aware you were not looking forward to going to school."

Harry nodded. "It was fine, we played a question game in class and the other children didn't mind having me on the team. And then, at lunch time, they allowed me to play with them."

The older man bit the inside of his cheek, so his guess had been accurate after all. "Why wouldn't they let you play with them? I'm sure they enjoy having another kid around."

Harry nodded slightly. "The children at my old school never wanted to play with me, they either joined Dudley at Harry hunting or they ignored me, Dudley said he would hurt anyone who spoke with me."

Severus pressed his lips together. "And what did the teachers do about it?"

The child shrugged. "Nothing, they just talked to each other."

Narrowing his eyes, the dark haired man shook his head. "They should have done something, no child should be allowed to harass another one like that. I doubt it will happen, but if you ever have a problem with another student you are to tell me at once, all right?"

Harry nodded slightly. "Yes, sir."

Picking up one of his books, Severus motioned towards the place Harry's book bag was laying. "Get started on your homework, I still want to have a short lesson after you're done."


	6. Deep fears

_Chapter 6: Deep fears_

_**Winter 1988**_

Harry frowned as he tried to concentrate on his homework. It was five o'clock in the evening and he was still at school, he and his teacher were the only ones in the whole building. He had told her he could wait outside for Severus to show up, but she had adamantly refused stating she could work on correcting the children's work there as well as at home. Knowing it was no use arguing with his teacher, Harry had sat down, hoping Severus would not take much longer. A small part of him was afraid that the man had finally grown tired of him and had just abandoned him there. It had been nearly six months since he had gone to live with the Silvanimus, and while the man was bad tempered and demanding, Harry never had had such a good time. He was well cared for, had food every day and was allowed to sleep in his own bedroom. All this made any of the small downsides of living with Severus more than worth it and Harry dreaded seeing it come to an end.

Shaking his head, he tried to return his attention to his work. Severus would be cross with him if he wasted his time while he could be working. The man had taught him that he always needed to distribute his time well so that he would be able to enjoy his evenings as he saw fit, in turn allowing Severus to do as he pleased instead of having to give him the remaining lessons.

Harry had been engrossed in his work for another twenty minutes when the door to the classroom finally opened. Severus' tall form occupied the whole entrance as his dark eyes took in the scene in front of him. Turning to Miss Moran, he saw she had stood up, a question clear in her eyes.

"I apologise for being so late. A personal incident came up and I was needed elsewhere. Harry and I will be away for a few days, don't expect him back till Monday. I would really appreciate it if you could collect the work he'll have to make up."

The woman frowned slightly. "Of course I will Mr. Snape. If there's anything else I might help you with?"

Severus shook his head slightly. "No, thank you."

Turning, he nodded to Harry. "Come on, child, get your things, we need to get going."

Seeing that the other man looked paler than he normally did, the boy gathered his things without question. A small part of him was still worried that Severus would take him back to the Dursley. Once they left the building, Severus lead them to a black car that was waiting close to the school's entrance. He stepped in and motioned for Harry to do the same. Once he had closed the door, the man that had been waiting for them started the car. Turning towards the Silvanimus with a deep frown on his face, Harry vacillated for a moment before speaking.

"Professor?"

The man driving the car snorted, making Harry turn to look at the back of his head. Severus' voice was ice cold when he spoke, making Harry shiver in dread.

"Is there a problem Aaron?"

The man riding the car looked at the tall Silvanimus through the mirror. "I wasn't aware you allowed your apprentices such disrespect, it amazes me, Severus."

The other man glared at him. "Keep to your own business, what I have my apprentices call me is between them and I."

Deciding it was better to just remain quiet, Harry settled against the car's pillows and returned his gaze outside. He was confused on what was going on, but he was not about to talk again with the other man sitting there, listening to him and making fun of him. He felt Severus' eyes on him, but the other man also remained silent.

The ride stretched out for Harry, he was uncomfortable, feeling the spotting eyes of the driver on him from time to time. He wished he was somewhere else, the whole situation made him feel nervous and out of place. Twenty minutes later, they stopped in front of a large building and stepped out. Aaron also stepped out and walked towards the back of the car where he took two suitcases out. Once those had been placed next to Severus, he nodded towards the car.

"Will you need me for something else?"

The older man glared slightly at the smirking face. "No, Aaron."

The man's face changed to a slight pout. "Not even planing on thanking me?"

"No. Leave."

Harry couldn't repress the shiver he felt. He had never seen the older Silvanimus like that. It was as if an ice cold mask had descended over his features. His voice was like a whip and Harry didn't doubt he was using his voice magic to make him even more intimidating. No matter how many times Severus had been angry at him for doing something wrong or not doing his best, Harry had never been afraid of him. That changed now, he had to fight the need to step away from the older man as intent black eyes looked down at him.

"Come."

The man took both suitcases and turned towards the large building which turned out to be a hotel. Once Severus had arranged their accommodations they were led to a large set of rooms. Not sure what he was supposed to do, Harry remained standing next to the room's entrance as the older man checked out the two rooms, small living room and kitchen, checking that everything was in order. Once he was satisfied, he turned to the child, who was still watching him with wariness. He wished he had been able to control his temper better, he had not meant for the boy to start fearing him, but Aaron had a special gift when it came to annoying him.

"The room on the left is yours, Harry. Why don't you go wash up? We'll talk after you have settled in."

The boy anxiously gripped his bag. "I've not finished my homework yet."

Severus' black eyes softened. "That's quite all right, child, don't worry about it now. You did well on starting with it when I was late. Go now."

Nodding, Harry went to the room Severus had pointed out. He was surprised to see it had its own bathroom. One of the suitcases was there and Harry guessed his clothes where in there. He quickly put them away in the closet, a bit surprised when he saw that Severus had not packed any of his books. He quickly took a shower and dressed in some of the clothes the older man had brought. He was a bit surprised to see that they were some of his best clothes, those that Severus had bought for special occasions.

He hesitated for a long moment before deciding there was nothing else he could do. Taking a deep breath, he left the room only to find the living room empty. Assuming that Severus was in his own room, Harry took a seat next to the window. He was surprised to see that the window didn't look out to the street but to a large garden that stretched as far as he could see. Frowning slightly, he tried to sense the garden's energy just as Severus had told him, it was much fainter than the forest' presence, but it filled him with a slight warm as he finally managed to make the connection. Severus had assured him that he would manage to do it almost automatically with enough practice, but it was still hard for him.

"It's good to see you practising so diligently."

Harry turned slightly to look at Severus that was entering the room at that same moment, not coming from his room but from the hall. The man went to the couch and sat down with a tired sigh.

"Ask away, Harry."

The boy bit his lip. He was never sure what questions he could ask when the man told him that. It would be much easier if Severus just told him things, but the other man had once told him he would only get the right answers if he learned to ask the right questions.

"Why were you so late?"

Almost as soon as the question left his mouth, Harry regretted it. While it was a valid question, he had not meant for it to sound so plaintive. "Sorry, I mean..."

Severus raised a hand while his dark eyes looked at him intently. "Why did you believe I was so late, Harry?"

For several long moments Harry considered whether a lie would be warranted now. He didn't want the other man to know how unsure he still felt from time to time despite the many reassurances from the older man that he would stay with him until he could live on his own.

"Harry, the truth."

The boy flinched slightly as the man's voice held a stern edge. "I thought maybe you had grown tired of me, that you realised how much of a bother I am, and that you were better of without me."

Severus groaned and looked at him warily, his gaze both annoyed and sad. "Will it help if I reiterate that I have no intention of abandoning you?"

Harry shook his head slightly. "I know it."

"But you don't believe it."

The boy shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortable. "I do." At the man's disbelieving gaze he was forced to add: "Most of the time at least."

Knowing there was no way he could make the child believe his words besides just being there, Severus got to the question. "Anyway. I was about to come get you when I got a message from the hospital. Alice died a few hours ago."

Harry shot him a stunned look which quickly changed to sadness. Severus had, from time to time, told him about his former apprentices and he had always felt bad for the woman that had lost her mind in such a brutal way.

"I am so sorry, sir."

The Silvanimus shook his head slightly. "It was long coming, Harry, it had been many years since she really died, her body just continued breathing but her essence was long gone. It is better that way. Her mother in law called me, knowing she had been close to me. I need to attend her funeral. You can either come with me or I'll try an make other arrangements for you since I'll not be able to pay you much attention. Alice didn't have any other living relatives so her mother in law and I will be arranging everything."

"It's all right, sir, I'll stay out of your way."

Not liking the sound of those words, Severus looked at him sternly. "Unless you promise me that you'll come to me if you have any problem, I'll get someone else to watch you for the next few days."

Harry frowned. "But you said you needed to do things, and I don't want to go stay with some stranger."

"I will be busy, and while I will appreciate if you keep busy on your own, it does not mean I will not be available if there is a problem. Now promise me you'll inform me if you have a problem."

Harry sighed and nodded. "All right, sir."

"All right, what?"

Rolling his eyes slightly, Harry repeated. "I promise I'll ask for your help if I need it."

Severus relaxed slightly against the couch. "Very well, next question."

"Mmh, who was that man?"

The man's face adopted an irritated air. "Aaron was one of Alice's childhood friends. Suffice to say we didn't see eye to eye on many things and I hope that after the burial I will never have to see him again. Mrs. Longbottom, Alice's mother in law, more or less forced him to come with me to retrieve you."

"And what did he mean when he said I was being disrespectful? I didn't mean to be."

Severus shook his head. "You were not, your behaviour was more appropriate than his." Seeing that the vague answer didn't sit well with the child, he leaned forward slightly. "There are certain forms that our people hold in relation to the behaviour an apprentice has to display. I have told you those I consider important, like you being honest with me and always answering verbally. There are some which I consider unnecessary. You'll learn them when we get to that, but there is no need for you to contemplate them now."

Harry knew that tone of voice, it meant Severus would answer if he questioned him but that he preferred to not broach the subject. Assuming it was not very important right now and that he would be able to look it up when they were home, he didn't press the man and instead asked something else.

"How comes Aaron knows so much about us?"

The older man snorted, disdain clear in his face. "That boy is too curious for his own good, and Alice indulged him and explained everything he wished to know. Personally I think he was hoping to find some proof that he was one of the protectors."

Harry frowned in thought, remembering his lessons. "But there's no way he could be. I mean, even if his mentor had not gone to retrieve him, the elders would have checked on him, and if that hadn't happened any protector would sense him when he reached his twelfth anniversary and he remained without a mentor."

Severus looked pleased. "That's exactly my point, but Aaron refused to acknowledge it. Anyway, he is not important. As I said I hope I'll never see him again after this week."

Once Severus made sure Harry had no more questions he asked for their evening meal. The meal was silent, Severus was obviously not in the mood for small talk and Harry respected his need for privacy even though the silence was starting to get to his nerves. Once they were done, he retired to his room, not willing to face a whole evening filled with the same tense and pressing silence. Realising he didn't have anything to do, he turned to his only distraction which happened to be his school books. With a sigh, he opened his history book and got comfortable on the bed. It was sad, he mused, that he had come to depend so much on lessons to distract him. At home, the few hours he had to himself were spent mostly reviewing what he had learned that day, as Severus was a harsh taskmaster and threw a fit every time he had to repeat himself. Harry had soon learned that if he wished to keep up he needed to keep working when Severus finally dismissed him. He didn't know if the man realised that, but he hadn't mentioned it for fear of looking stupid. On the other hand, it really paid off at school, work was much easier now that he was told to do his best and given the tools to do so.

Three hours later, Severus softly knocked on the door. Not receiving any response, he silently opened the door and looked inside. He had to repress a small chuckle when he saw Harry spread out on the bed, books and papers surrounding him. The Silvanimus stepped into the room, making sure he did not wake the boy. With a wave of his wand, all the boy's materials flew over to the small desk that occupied a corner of the room. A second wave ensured that Harry was dressed in his pyjamas before Severus tucked him in tightly under the blankets.

Two days later the funeral took place. Severus was standing in the front row with Harry standing at his side. The child was completely dressed in black, and held his head bowed like everyone else as the priest spoke. But while the rest of the large crowd listened to the man talking, Harry was looking around curiously from under his bangs. He had been introduced to Mrs. Longbottom and her grandson, Neville. The other boy, while sad, had not seemed broken hearted. On Mrs. Longbottom's other side stood an old man. He was probably the oldest man he had ever seen. Harry couldn't help but shift uncomfortably as the man's blue eyes settled on him once again. He had been doing it during the whole funeral and it was starting to grate on his nerves.

Once Alice's body had been buried, the whole congregation moved to Longbottom Manor where a small gathering of Alice's closest friends took place. Harry remained glued to Severus' side. It had been a long time since he had been among such a large group of strangers and even though there was a group of children about his age, he didn't feel the desire to join them. They were just too wild for what he saw, and for their part, they didn't even seem to notice him. Severus had glanced down at him before putting a gentle arm around his shoulder. The Silvanimus was about to speak when the old man approached them.

"Good evening, Severus."

The younger man's eyes regarded the old man seriously. "Albus, how are you doing?"

Harry watched as the older man's eyes nearly twinkled. "Very well, my boy, very well. It's sad that Alice passed away, but it is for the best." Severus nodded in agreement but waited till the other man spoke again. Albus for his part turned his gaze to Harry, who had to fight the urge to disappear behind the folds of Severus' robes. "I didn't realise you had taken on a new apprentice, Severus."

The Silvanimus smirked, a challenge clear in his eyes. "I assumed so, since I didn't have you hanging at my door the moment Harry came to live with me."

The Headmaster frowned. "Now, Severus, I'm just concerned about the child, it would have been nice to know that you had taken him into your care."

"If you cared so much about the boy, you would have known much sooner that he was no longer at his relatives. Not only that, but you would hopefully have done something about the appalling situation he lived in."

The old man frowned. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

Severus sneered. "No? Really? Then maybe I should tell you a few things regarding the proper care of children or the right way to fulfil a will. Because I am quite sure that Lily put a clause in there that said that her son was not to go to her sister."

"Now, Severus..."

The Silvanimus raised a hand. "I don't really want to know any of your manipulations, Albus. I'm just warning you. Keep away from the child. He is in my care and under my protection. If I suspect for even a moment that you are trying to put him in danger or use him as your figure head I will have you removed from your office and with your reputation destroyed. And remember I don't make empty treats."

The older man paled under Harry's fascinated gaze. Severus had already told him about how his parents had died and how some people would try to use him. The man had sworn he would protect him, but Harry hadn't realised it would happen so soon.

"I remember." Taking a deep sigh, Albus continued. "I assume in a few years I'll be having you back as Hogwarts' Potions Master."

Severus nodded, distaste clear on his features. "Either that or I enrol Harry elsewhere."

Albus raised his hands. "There's no need to threaten me on this, you know it will be a pleasure to have you back. Maybe you could come sooner?" A deep growl came from the younger man and black eyes flashed menacingly. "Or maybe not. It was a pleasure seeing you again, Severus. Nice to meet you Harry."

The boy looked as the Headmaster quickly walked away before turning his gaze towards the other Silvanimus. "Professor?"

The older man turned and bent slightly so he could look into the boy's green eyes. "Try to keep away from that man, Harry."

The boy frowned slightly. "All right, but why? Who was he?"

Severus sighed tiredly. "That, my boy, was Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. He is the so called leader of the light, and a born manipulator. He will not hesitate to use you to suit his needs. Juts try and keep away from him and if you don't manage, come to me. Ok?"

Harry shrugged, Hogwarts was still a few years away and he was not going to worry about what might happen yet. "All right."

"Come then, lets say our goodbyes to the Longbottoms, it's high time we return home."


	7. Exhaustion

_Chapter 7: Exhaustion._

_**Autum 1988**_

Harry gazed tiredly at the blurry pages in front of him. He could barely make out the words but he needed to keep reading. One year after Severus had taken him in and he was finally getting to the interesting parts of his training. He was finally starting to learn the basics of Silvanimus' magic. While they were doing nothing but theory now, Severus had promised him they would start on the practices soon. Sighing he looked at his watch and groaned when he saw that it was already one o'clock. He still had a few pages to go before he finished reviewing what they had done that day. He felt tempted to stop and just go to bed but knew he would regret it tomorrow. The last year had been completely dedicated to his studies, Severus seemed to think they were working against the clock as it was which drove Harry to try and work even harder. But it was starting to catch up with him, his mind was not so sharp as it was a few months ago, and it took longer for him to memorise the theory Severus drilled into his brain. Since he didn't want to disappoint the man, he kept going until he was sure he would remember everything, that in turn meant he had to stay up late which didn't help with his tiredness.

It was a vicious cycle, and Harry didn't know how to break it. The words in front of him blurred once again. He was mentally exhausted but he told himself that he only had two more pages to go, then he would be able to go to sleep. Before he was even halfway through the first of the two pages, his eyes closed and refused to open again. Reassuring himself that he would just rest for a few minutes, he slumped so that his head leaned against the desk and relaxed into the embrace of sleep.

A few minutes later, Severus stepped out of the shadows, a deep frown etched on his face. It had been three days since Harry's professor had taken him aside for a talk.

_Flashback_

"Harry, can you wait for a moment, I need to speak with Mr. Snape briefly."

By the surprised face of his apprentice, Severus knew that the boy was not in trouble. The child knew his rules very well and knew when he was breaking him. Wondering what this could be about, he tried to cast his mind over different scenarios, but found nothing wrong there. The boy's grades were excellent and as far as he knew he got on well with the other children in his class.

Once the woman had closed the door, she turned to him, a worried frown on her face. "What is wrong, Miss Moran?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, she was not really sure if she should broach the subject at all. "Is Harry having problems at home, Mr. Snape?"

Severus blinked, completely floored at the question. "Not that I know off, what makes you think he does?"

If someone else had dared to say something like that he would have flat out told them it was none of their business, but this woman had proven more than once that she cared about her students. And on top of that she seemed to be very intuitive. He couldn't in good conscience dismiss something that worried her to the point of bringing it up to him.

"Maybe it's not my place to say so, but Harry looks exhausted. I hadn't noticed myself until one of the other children had to nudge him awake during class today. That has never happened before."

Severus turned to the closed door, there was a window there which allowed him a clear sight of the class. Harry was sitting there, reading quietly from a book. At first glance, he just looked like he always did, but for the first time in many months, Severus looked at him intently, comparing his face to the one he remembered from a year ago. It was fuller, a clear sign of the good nutrition he was allowed now, but instead of the healthy flush that should cover his checks there was only paleness. Except for the dark shadows under his eyes, which were the only colour that covered his face besides his eyes. The Silvanimus blinked but the sight remained the same. How he had failed to notice before that, he didn't know, but the child looked much frailer than he should.

"You're right, he does not look good at all." Turning to the woman with a deep frown on his faces, he dipped his head slightly. "I had not noticed. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, once again I am in your debt."

The woman flushed slightly. "It's nothing, Mr. Snape, it is just part of my job."

The man snorted slightly. "And if everyone was as dedicated as you, the world would be a much better place." Severus looked through the window once again. "Give me a couple of days to try and find out why the child is so tired. I might find it necessary to withdraw him from school for a few weeks so he has the chance to recuperate. Would that be a problem?"

Isabel shrugged slightly. "Harry is quite a smart child, if it's necessary I'll give you the work we'll be covering and you can make sure he completes at his own pace."

Severus nodded and after reiterating his thanks he stepped into the room and called Harry to him. The child quickly gathered his things and went to him, a confused frown on his face.

"Am I in trouble?"

Severus gave him a small smile, hiding his concern at the pale face looking up at him. "No, child, of course not. Come on, we have things to do."

_End flashback_

The first thing he had done when they had arrived home was to check the wards that surrounded the child's room. A small variation in the balance of the power the forest that was allowed into the room might explain Harry's exhaustion. But everything was in order, as he had really known it would. Those wards were extremely precise, he had spent nearly a year putting them in place and he fine-tuned them each month. After that, he just took to keep a discrete eye on the child. Once lessons were done for the day, he concealed himself and followed him to his room. He never entered the apprentice's rooms, as he felt that they should have a private space and part of Harry's duties was to keep that space clean, but he felt concerned enough to breach his own rule.

Then, night after night he watched as the boy worked himself to exhaustion, going over the work they had done that day again and again. He had assumed that the child spent the hours in his room relaxing, either playing with the few games and toys he had bought him or reading the novels he had provided. But a search for a aforementioned items revealed that they were mostly still in their original packages. So, this was not a new development but rather an ongoing problem. One which he hadn't noticed. Severus had observed that Harry was making much more progress than any of his apprentices before him, but he had attributed it to a very bright mind. His mother had been exceptional and his father, while loving pranks and causing trouble, never had much problem with his grades. He had assumed Harry would share their facility for his studies.

Looking down at the sleeping boy, Severus shook his head slightly. No, the boy was smart, but he had to admit, even if it was only to himself, that he had been much more demanding with this child than the other ones before him. He had seen his potential and Harry had not disappointed him. Severus realised that the few times Harry had not performed to his expectations he had been incredibly harsh, much harsher than he had the right to be. It was not surprising that Harry had preferred to work himself so hard in order to avoid angering him than to admit he just couldn't keep up any more.

With a deep sigh, he bent down and gathered the boy into his arms. He was disappointed in himself, he should have noticed there was something wrong. Severus shifted Harry until his heavy head was resting on his shoulder. Then, taking some pyjamas from the closet he left the room. As tired as he was, it would not do for the child to remain in the room. The forest would not doubt to try and take advantage of it.

Severus put the boy in the room next to his. It was smaller than the apprentices' room, but it had a connection to his own room which would make keeping an eye on him easier. Once he had tucked Harry into bed he remained standing in the room for a long moment. Tomorrow he would need to go to the school and warn Miss Moran that Harry would be taking a few days off. Looking down at the sleeping child, he shook his head slightly and though it may as well be a few weeks. The Silvanimus sighed and went to his own bed, tomorrow would be soon enough to try and correct the situation.

The next morning, Severus waited patiently for Harry to wake. He had taken a seat next to the child's bed and was reading one of his potions journals, checking from time to time that whether the child was still sleeping. Why lunch time came and Harry still gave no signs of waking up, Severus decided that he might best have a healer look over the child. He was obviously much more tired than he had expected and the healer might give him pointers as to how to deal with this problem properly. Heading towards the fireplace placed in his study, he hesitated for a moment, not sure who he should call. He could, of course, make a general call to St. Mungos so they would send someone, but he had to remember just who was lying in the bed upstairs. In the end he decided he was better safe than sorry and called onto Hogwarts' infirmary. Poppy's face appeared in midst of the fire, a surprised and concerned frown edged on her face.

"Severus, it's been quite a long time since we last talked. Are you unwell?"

The man shook his head. "Good afternoon, Poppy. I am feeling fine, but if you are not too busy I would appreciate it if you could step through and come check on my apprentice."

The woman's eyebrow rose a bit at that piece of information. "I didn't know you had a new apprentice, you really should tell me those things in advance."

Severus chuckled. "I'm surprised Albus didn't tell you."

Poppy snorted slightly. "Please, Severus, the day that man tells anyone something on his own free will will be the day that hell freezes over."

The Silvanimus rolled his eyes. "Indeed. Can you come?"

The nurse nodded her head slightly. "Give me a minute to gather my things and I'll be with you. Still living at the same house?"

Severus snorted slightly. "Of course, where else would I be? I'll keep the floo open for you."

Ten minutes later, the nurse stepped into his office. she looked him over as soon as she had removed the shoot from her robes and frowned.

"You look like you didn't get much sleep last night."

"I did." At her incredulous glance he amended: "I tried at least."

Poppy snorted. "If you say so. What's wrong with your apprentice?"

Severus sighed, leaning against his desk. "I was careless."

The nurse shook her head. "That's not like you."

The Silvanimus shrugged. "I'm afraid that in this instance I was. My apprentice is overworked, he is completely exhausted."

In short sentences, he explained how he had come to realise there was something wrong and what he found out. The nurse nodded in understanding. "You will need to take things more calmly."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Thank you for stating the obvious, I didn't bring you here so you could tell me that. What I wish to know is how to deal with the child until he is fine again."

Poppy turned to the door. "Lets get a look at him first."

Silently, the Silvanimus led the nurse to the room he had placed Harry in. The child was still sleeping peacefully unaware of the two adults looking down at him. Poppy stared down at the black haired head, narrowing her eyes, she bend over so she could brush the child's bangs away only to reveal a scar she would have recognised anywhere. She shot a look towards her old friend.

"Harry Potter is your apprentice?"

Her voice had come out shriller than she had meant making Severus hiss. "Shh, I would appreciate it if you didn't wake him. And yes, Harry is my assigned apprentice, that's why I was quite surprised Albus hadn't mentioned the fact."

Poppy shook her head and returned her attention to the sleeping child. Taking out her wand, she started to run diagnosis charms on the slight form of the child lying in bed. As magic started to flow over the boy, he grew restless. Severus, who had been looking at his sleeping face intently, suddenly spoke up.

"Stop for a second Poppy."

The woman looked at him startled, immediately stopping the flow of charms she had been muttering. Before she had the chance to ask what was wrong, the boy sat up straight up in bed, looking frantically around himself. Severus moved past the nurse and went to sit next to the child, placing a calming hand on his tense shoulder.

"Relax, Harry."

His voice was soft and velvety, having put quite some magical strength behind it. Harry had come more proficient in ignoring his voice magic if he wished to but in this instance it worked at once relaxing the boy until he was once again lying down.

"Professor?"

Severus had to smile slightly at the small pout he could detect in the boy's voice while he helped him settle more comfortably into his pillows. "It's all right, child, why don't you try and go back to sleep?"

But Harry had noticed the woman watching them. "Who is she, sir?" After a short glance around the room he added: "This is not my room, why am I here?"

The Silvanimus rolled his eyes slightly. "This lady is Madam Pomfrey she is an old friend of mine. She is also a very talented healer and came to check you over at my request."

Harry's eyes returned his gaze to his guardian. "I'm not ill, I feel ok."

Severus raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "That is for Madam Pomfrey to determine. You may not be ill but you are exhausted."

Harry's frown changed until it was clear he was upset. "I'm just a bit tired, sir, really, there is no need to fuss. A good night's sleep and I'll be fine."

Severus pushed the child into the pillows as soon as he tried to get up. "I consider there is a need to fuss, so you are going to do what you're told, which right now implies letting Madam Pomfrey finish her examination."

"But, what about school?"

The Silvanimus rolled his eyes slightly. "I've already called saying you're ill."

"I'm not!"

Severus shook his head. "That's quite enough. Poppy, you can continue now."

Harry pouted as Severus stood up from the bed and allowed the woman to come closer. For a brief moment he considered disobeying his guardian, but really there was no sense in trying to escape. If there was one thing he had learned about Severus was that when he decided that something was going to happen it would, no matter what Harry thought about it.

Twenty minutes later, Harry was blinking tiredly, fighting to remain awake as the nurse finally stepped away from his bed. He watched sleepily as she rummaged through her back before coming up with a bottle filled with a green coloured liquid and a spoon. She carefully measured a full dose with the spoon and approached him. A very stern glare from his guardian ensured that Harry didn't give into his need to slap the spoon away and instead took the mouthful of foul tasting potion. Severus watched in quiet amusement as Harry tried to fight the effects of the sleeping potion, the child obviously wanted to prove that he wasn't as tired as Severus thought. The older man bend over and gently covered his charge's eyes with his hand sending a small push of magic into the child.

"Not fair."

Snape laughed softly at the soft whine as Harry finally slipped under the effects of the potion. Poppy had been looking at his actions and couldn't help but smile. It was always refreshing to see the older man's behaviour around his apprentices.

"You have got a fighter there, Severus."

The older man straightened and shot her a small glare filled with irony. "There is no need to tell me that, I know it damn well." Seeing she had already packed her bag, he nodded towards the door. "Shall I get us some tea? I don't think Harry is going to wake any time soon."

Despite his words, he put a few monitoring charms around the bed that would alert him as soon as Harry woke up.

Once they had settled into the living room with a hot cup of tea, Severus started to question the nurse.

"So? What's your diagnostic?"

Poppy looked at him a bit amused. "You're treating it as if he was severely ill. He's fine, he just needs a break. Did you go on any trip during the summer holiday?"

Severus massaged his brow with a frown. "No, we used it to get a jump on his studies."

The nurse glared slightly at him. "The holidays are there for a reason, Severus. While I agree with most parents that they are awfully long you need to take at least a break, and not only for the child's health but also your own."

The man sighed. "Yes, of course, you're right. So, what do I do? Send him back to school?"

The nurse shook her head slightly. "Let him sleep as much as he wants to for the next few days, once he knows that he has a small break his body will probably catch up and he will be even more tired than he is now. Let him rest. I think a small trip might be in order, a change of scenario so to speak. The weather is not too bad yet, I'm sure you could find somewhere to spend a few days with the boy."

Severus sighed. "Ok, so, somewhere peaceful."

Poppy shot him an amused glance. "Not too peaceful, he is a small boy, take him somewhere were he is allowed to be wild, to just play and be a child for a change."

The older man nodded, an idea starting to form in his head. "Very well, I think I know the perfect place. Will he be all right otherwise?"

The nurse sipped her tea and nodded. "He'll be fine, as long as you slow down a bit, I know you love to teach your apprentices and that you want them to be the best they can, but it's not going to help if they are overworked."

Severus nodded. "I know Poppy, I know."

Harry woke late that same evening to Severus gently shaking his shoulder. Blinking, the boy sat up and rubbed his eyes. He had not felt so rested in a long while and still he felt like he could have kept on sleeping for some time longer, but his guardian had other ideas.

"Harry."

When the boy's eyes finally focused on him, Severus motioned to the tray he had brought up. There was a plate of salad and some chicken. "You've not eaten since yesterday, you must be hungry."

Harry suddenly noticed the small ache in his stomach and nodded, eyeing the tray with a frown.

"I could have come downstairs, I'm fine."

Severus rolled his eyes. "Considering you're going back to sleep as soon as you're done eating I thought it would be a waste of time to make you come down."

Harry frowned as the tray was placed on his lap. "I don't want to go back to sleep, I'm not tired."

Severus shrugged but didn't reply, knowing that the boy would be asleep again in less than an hour, if not by choice then because of the potion he had slipped into his milk. The Silvanimus watched as his charge ate hungrily, ignoring the irritated looks that he kept sending his way.

Finally, Harry seemed to grow tired of his incessant stare. "Don't you have anything else to do besides watching me eat?"

Severus snorted and stood up. "Not really, no, but if it unnerves you I'll go to my study for a while." Then, as if in an afterthought, he added. "I catch you out of that bed and you'll be in a lot of trouble. Understood?"

Harry's glare intensified. "But I'm fine!"

"So you keep saying, but I think you need more sleep and Madam Pomfrey agrees with me, so do yourself a favour and just go to sleep after you finish eating."

Harry crossed his arms over his chest. "Or else what?"

Severus' glare became frosty. "Else I'll force feed you a potion and when you're well again I'll take you over my knee for a sound spanking. Now eat that up and cease this temper tantrum, you're just proving my point that you're over tired since normally you would know better than to carry on so."

Harry was very tempted to throw his bread at the man's back, but common sense won over his anger. It was not often that Severus threatened to spank him and thus far he had only been over the man's knee twice. Not an experience he cared to repeat any time soon as Severus had a very hard hand and was convinced a sound spanking could teach more lessons than even a lecture, specially when Harry was not in the mood for listening to the man prattle on. Telling him just that had been what had earned him his first spanking, not a very smart thing to do, Harry thought in retrospect.

With a deep sigh, the boy turned to his food and cleaned up the plate. Once he was done, he placed the tray on the floor next to the bed and laid back in bed, eyes wide open. He was going to show Severus that he was not tired.

When the older Silvanimus entered the room twenty minutes later he found an empty tray and a deeply sleeping child. Once he had tucked the boy firmly in bed he left, he had a few letters to send.


	8. A trip to remember

_Chapter 8: A trip to remember._

_**Autum 1988**_

Harry woke late the next morning. Sitting up, he realised two things. Firstly, he was in the same room he had been the day before and secondly, that it hadn't been a dream. His thoughts were much clearer and as he remembered the details of the day before he could barely suppress a wince. It was a wonder that Severus hadn't punished him considering how rude he had been. Looking around, he noticed a tray floating next to him with his breakfast and a small note written in Severus' elegant handwrite. It told him that after he had eaten he would need to get dressed and come down to the man's office for a talk. Not really liking the tone of the letter, Harry took his time eating and getting ready.

Once he couldn't procrastinate more, he slowly walked down the stairs and headed to Severus' office. Harry knocked softly on the robust door, half hopping the other man would not be there. To his disappointment he was granted permission to enter almost at once, giving him no choice but to enter the office where Severus was sitting in. The man was busy taking some notes from a thick, old looking book and didn't look up when the boy entered. Harry stood there undecided. He knew he was allowed to sit down unless he was in trouble. Since he wasn't sure if he was in trouble for his behaviour the day before, he settled on the lesser of two evils and remained standing.

Severus glanced up at him for a moment, but since he didn't invite him to sit, the thought that he was in trouble was reinforced, making Harry wince slightly. The older Silvanimus made him wait nearly twenty minutes before he finally closed the book and put his notes away. Once that was done, the older man's gaze finally fell on the nervous boy.

Harry returned the gaze for a brief moment before lowering it to the ground. He must be in so much trouble, yet, Severus' face didn't express anger just seriousness, which gave him a bit of hope that he would not end up with a sore behind.

The older man put him out of his musings as he finally broke the oppressive silence. "I am sure you remember what happened yesterday." By Harry's wince, Severus knew the boy was aware to exactly which part of yesterday he was talking about. "I will let it slide this time, as, despite what you have been telling me, you were not really well. But I want you to keep in mind that that kind of behaviour will not be tolerated. I don't tell you to do things

for the sake of doing so. If I tell you to do something I expect you to do it or to ask for an explanation, but I will not tolerate you refusing to do as you're told just because you don't feel like obeying. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded slightly, gaze still firmly trained to the ground. "Yes, sir."

Severus had told him that several times all ready but sometimes it just slipped his mind, which often landed him in trouble. It was a wonder Severus was not going to do anything about it this time.

"There's another matter I wish to discuss with you." Harry thought maybe it was about not only disobeying but also about being rude yesterday, but Severus soon disabused him on that notion. "It was brought to my attention that you were exhausted. Your teacher told me you nearly fell asleep in class. She even went as far as to ask if you had problems here at home. I should have noticed myself as you looked like you were about to collapse, but regrettably I didn't ."

Harry frowned and finally looked back up to his guardian. "I don't have any problems, sir. I'm..." He blushed slightly and corrected what he was about to say. "I'm better now. I was just a bit tired."

Severus sat back. "Really? I don't think it was just that" Not giving the boy a chance to reply, he continued. "Why didn't you tell me you were not able to keep up with the lessons? That they were just becoming too much?"

Knowing at once that Severus was talking about his studies, Harry's face crumbled slightly. "They are not too much, I'm sorry, sir, I'll try to do better."

Severus sighed. "I didn't say you weren't doing well, Harry. Your grades at school are exceptional and you're progressing very well in my lessons, that is not the point. Why do you need to review once the lessons are done with?"

Harry bit his lip. His voice very small as he finally answered. "I can't remember everything you tell me if I don't review it, and you get so angry when I can't answer your questions..."

The older Silvanimus shook his head. "There shouldn't be any need for you to have to go over the material again."

Severus watched in concern as the boy threw his arms around himself, as if hugging himself. His voice was a bit watery as he answered. "Then I'm just stupid, but I really tried to do my best. Please, I'll try to do better, but don't send me back and take the bond away."

Severus was around the desk in a flash. He had been a bit of a bastard just now, but he had needed to know what was behind the boy's need to work himself to exhaustion. He knew that the need to please him would be part of it but not the root of the problem. That the child was still afraid he would be send back shocked him. It had been more than a year, surely the boy knew he would not send him anywhere.

Hugging the child to his chest, he sat down, drawing Harry to him till the boy was sitting rigidly in his lap.

"Hush now, child. Listen to me Harry. There is no way I will ever send you back to your relatives or anywhere else for that matter. I thought you knew that already."

Harry had buried his head in the man's shoulder, refusing to look Severus in the eye as the older man keep talking. "You are not a stupid child, and I don't want to hear you say so again. You have the best marks in your class and you not only have to study for those but you also have to keep up with my lessons, which you have been doing so far. But Harry, it was never my intention to work you so hard. I thought you memorised everything during our lessons."

Harry whimpered slightly. "I'm sorry. I really tried."

Severus rubbed his back reassuringly. "I know you did. And when you couldn't you found a solution, which in itself was not a bad one if it had been a one-time thing. Harry, the problem of having one to one lessons is that I'll go at your pace. If you're doing well I'll think the lessons are easy and I'll just keep going. You need to tell me when you see that you can not catch up so that I'll know to slow down. This is not a race, there is no time limit in which to learn everything I wish to teach you."

Harry was listening intently at those words, nodding from time to time to show that he was aware of what the man was saying as he still refused to remove his face from the comfortable spot. "But you get angry when I don't know something."

Severus shook his head. "In part it is because I have a temper, and you know that very well, you know I'm prone to shouting and that I usually don't mean it quite that way." Severus smiled slightly as he heard the soft chuckle coming from his shoulder. "There's of course also a small part of me that is convinced that you'll prefer to do your best before angering me. But I promise I'll try to curb my temper so long as you do your best. All right?"

"Ok."

"And no more hours long reviewing, the evenings are for you to relax."

When no answer came to that, he forced Harry to leave his hiding place and to finally face him. The child's eyes were a bit damp, a clear sign of the tears he had just shed. Severus forced the child to look him directly. "I don't want you to overwork yourself again, I want you to tell me when you have a problem remembering things or understanding them. Understood?"

Harry gave a small sigh before nodding his head. A small part of him was grateful as he had not really liked having to study so much all the time, but another part was still afraid Severus would send him away if he didn't go well. Seeing the hesitation in the boy's eyes, the Silvanimus decided he would have to check on him more often during the evenings, to ensure that he was relaxing.

They were both shaken out of their thoughts as a letter suddenly appeared out of thin air. Putting Harry on his feet, Severus stood up and walked over to the desk, taking the letter and leaning against the sturdy wood.

Harry watched curiously as Severus quickly read the letter and gave a small satisfied smile.

"Good, very good." Looking up he gave the boy looking up at him a small smile. "Go to your room and pack clothes for about a week, we're leaving."

Harry blinked. "What? Where? What about school?"

Severus gently pushed him out of his office. "We're going on a small holiday, pack for warm weather. Where to, you'll have to wait and see. And as for school I have already made arrangements with your teacher. Go now, and no school books, there will be plenty of things to do there, I don't want you to think about your studies until we come back."

With those words he closed the door behind him, leaving a bemused Harry standing in the middle of the hall.

About two hours later, both Silvanimus took a portkey Severus had got via mail. It would take them directly towards the place they would be remaining for the next ten days. Harry had tried to get their destination out of the man but his guardian had remained stubbornly quiet, refusing to say a word on the matter.

Harry opened his eyes slowly as the portkey deposited them on their destination. He blinked twice and then gasped at the beautiful picture that met his eyes. All he saw was an enormous expanse of deep blue water. The sun was just shinning on it, giving golden sparks as the waves gently lapped at the ground they were standing on. He had never seen the sea before, only pictures of it, and Harry realised that they didn't do it any justice. The sight was just breathtaking and a feeling of peacefulness started to run over him.

Severus, who had remained silent at his apprentice's side, smiled slightly at the look of wonder that had come over the boy's face. Harry had often expressed the desire to see the sea some day and the older man had kept that in his memory. He was reluctant to disturb the boy's thoughts, but there was someone waiting for them.

"I take it you like the sight?"

Harry didn't even turn to look at him. "It's wonderful, much better than I ever thought it would be."

"Good, then you'll enjoy swimming in it even more."

The child finally turned to stare at him. "We can really go swim?" Then he frowned. "I don't know how to swim."

Severus rolled his eyes slightly. "Of course we'll go swimming, why else do you think we're here? And don't worry, we'll teach you. Now, we need to go up to the house as our host is waiting for us."

For the first time Harry noticed that they were on a sandy patch that led out to a cozy house. It was not as large as Severus' home, but it somehow felt very welcome. Severus started to walk the path up to the house, leaving Harry no other choice but to follow. Once they reached the door Severus didn't even have the chance to knock before it was thrown open. Harry looked up at the tall man that smiled down at them. He was taller than even Severus and much more robust. Harry could easily see the man's muscles bulging from his t-shirt.

"Master Severus, you finally decided to pay me a visit!"

Harry blinked as the younger man enveloped the stern Silvanimus in a bear-hug. His surprise was tempered with amusement as Severus patted the man on the back once before struggling free, a scowl on his face.

"Must you always carry on so, Brian? You know I don't like being manhandled like that."

Harry had to repress a laugh as a chastised look covered the blond man's face. It was quite ridiculous on such a large man.

"So sorry, Master, I tend to forget that."

His words were belied by the glint the filled the man's clear eyes. Harry remained standing at the back, looking at the interaction between both men. He could hardly believe that this man might have been one of Severus' apprentices, but he was called Brian and Harry could feel a special something about him, just like what he felt when he was with Severus. On top of that, the large man was calling his guardian Master.

Severus shook his head. "I'm sure you do." Then, turning slightly so he could watch Harry, he nodded towards the tall man. "Harry, I would like to introduce you to Brian, he was my apprentice about thirty years ago and as you saw he is still as unruly as he was as a boy, with the downside that I can no longer punish him accordingly."

The larger man laughed happily at the dry statement. "Aww, come on, I was not that bad."

"No, you were even worse."

Brian chuckled and turned to look at the child. "Good meeting you Harry. It's always fun knowing that Master Severus has a new victim." He blinked slightly and looked the child over. "You're quite a bit younger than I expected. You said he had been with you for a year already Master, but he does not look older than seven."

Severus snorted. "And since when are you an expert in children, Brian? But you are right, Harry just celebrated his ninth anniversary, he went early through his first awakening." Before the other man could comment, Severus continued. "Are you going to let us in or will we have to continue standing here?"

Brian shook his head and stepped aside. "Sorry, come in." He led them to a spacious living room before turning to talk to them. "I hope you don't mind, Harry, but you'll have to take the couch in here, I only have one other bedroom."

The boy quickly nodded, looking over the couch, it was a very large and soft looking couch and he was small enough so he would be able to stretch fully out on it. Brian pointed to a small, wooden trunk.

"You can leave your things in there, I emptied it so you could use it."

Harry nodded and watched as the two men left the room to get Severus settled in his own room. He quickly put his bag away and went to one of the large windows. It gave him a perfect view of the outside.

He was still standing there when Brian returned to the living room, a small smile on his humorous face.

"So, kid, how is live with the Master?"

Harry turned slightly, a small frown on his face. "It's fine, I love living with him." He hessitated a second before grinning slightly. "Most of the time at least."

Brian chuckled. "Yes, I know exactly what you mean."

Harry relaxed slightly, realising it was true. This was one man who knew exactly what living with Severus was like. "Did you live with him for very long?"

He had been curious about that for a while. He knew Severus had told him he would be able to stay with him till he reached his majority, but he didn't know exactly when that was.

Brian chuckled. "For nearly fifteen years, I was twenty-four when I finally decided I was ready to leave."

The child blinked. "You were the one who decided to leave?"

Brian looked at him curiously. "Of course. Master Severus would have never thrown me out. Surely you know that by now."

Snape's dry voice stepped into the conversation. "Harry has some issues about that matter, he is convinced I'll throw him out at the slightest chance."

The boy's cheeks flushed. "I do not."

The oldest Silvanimus' incredulous glare let him know what exactly he thought about that, but he let the matter go. Instead he nodded to the window. "We are wasting our time. I thought you would be in your swim trucks by now, you surely want to go to the beach."

Harry's face brightened at once. "Can we go already?"

Severus shook his head. "Of course, silly boy. As soon as you've changed."

Brian chuckled as the child disappeared from their side and rushed to get the proper garments to spend a day at the beach. Severus turned to look at him.

"I trust you'll be coming with us."

The younger man nodded. "Sure I will, it's not like I have anything better to do right now."

The dark haired man nodded in agreement and went to gather his own things.

The next few days passed in pure bliss. Harry spent most of his time outside at the beach. Brian was teaching him how to swim which was both tiring and fun. In the evenings he would just lie next to the spot Severus had claimed as his and nap. While the older man always went with them, he settled in a conjured armchair and spent his days reading or talking to Brian. Sometimes Harry listened to their conversations in amazement. He could barely understand what they were talking about and that somehow clashed with the image he had had about the younger man. Brian was nearly Severus' complete opposite except when it came to his knowledge. At first Harry had wondered who had been insane enough to place a man such as Brian in Severus' care, but after their talks he started to understand. Besides he could tell Brian held a great deal of affection for the older man, it was clear in many ways and Harry hopped he could have such an easy relationship with his guardian when he grew up.

The nights were spent in the living room where Brian used the time to tell him tales about his own time as Severus' apprentice. Harry always ended up having a stitch in his side from all the laughing he did, it seemed Brian had been a little terror when he was younger and had put Severus in nearly every situation one could imagine. Severus, who pretended to read, inserted his own comments from time to time making the stories even more amusing. During that time Harry learned something important. Severus would not abandon him for being naughty, mischievous or outright defiant. Oh, he would be punished for it, but never abandoned. After all, if he had dealt with Brian till he was twenty-four he sure would keep Harry around since he was not even half as much trouble as the other man had been.


	9. Trouble

WARNINGS: There is going to be an explicit spanking scene here. If you don't like it just skip the chapter.

_Chapter 9: Trouble_

_**Winter 1990**_

Harry winced as the door opened with force and his guardian stepped into the headmistress' office. From the corner of his eyes he looked up to gauge the man's mood, but the blank look only told him the man was angry, not how angry he was. The Headmistress looked up from her paperwork and stood to greet her visitor.

"Mr. Snape, a pleasure to finally meet you, I only wish the circumstances were better."

The man nodded and shook the hand he had been offered. The he turned his intense black eyes to Harry who was trying to hide himself in the chair he was sitting in.

"Go wait for me outside."

"Yes, sir."

Harry didn't think twice about obeying, he just stood up and left the room. Then he turned to the woman who invited him to take the sit his pupil had just abandoned.

"What happened?"

The woman sighed. "For what I have been able to gather, this has been going for a while now. Bruno Handry started school this year, he is two years older than Harry and has a love for taunting people. I don't know for what reason he has been cornering Harry regularly. We've tried to put a stop to it, but so far nothing has worked. I don't know what he said today but Harry punched him before anyone had the chance to interfere. Bruno also landed a few kicks before we could separate the two boys. Bruno will be expelled, we can not keep him here any longer as he has been bringing trouble for as long as he has been here. Harry on the other hand presents me with a problem. I can not abide him getting into a fist fight but I can also understand that it is in part the fault of the teachers for not being able to reign Bruno in. I would like your input on the matter."

Severus leaned back into the chair, a deep frown on his face. "What would you normally do with a student who had physically attacked another?"

The woman shrugged slightly. "At a first offence it would be two weeks suspension. Second offence it would be a month and third it would be expulsion. Harry has never had such a problem before and under the circumstances I'm not sure how to proceed."

Severus crossed his hands on his lap. "I believe you should proceed as you normally would. Harry has to learn that every action has a consequence."

The headmistress raised an eyebrow. "Even though he was nearly goaded into it?"

"Fighting is never a good answer to a problem, there are many other ways to handle such a

situation. For starters he could have informed me about it."

The woman smiled slightly. "Boys are reluctant to talk about those kind of things."

Severus gave her a small smirk in return. "Oh, I know that, but it doesn't change the facts. It hardly matters any more, Harry made his decisions and I have made mine. So, unless you don't agree with me I'll keep Harry home for the next two weeks."

The woman nodded and stood up. Severus followed her out of the door and after saying his goodbyes he started to stalk through the corridor, a single look ensuring that Harry was following him. When they arrived at their usual tree, Severus tree-jumped without even waiting for him. Harry gulped slightly, it had only been two weeks since he had started to learn that method of transportation and he still felt uncomfortable using it. Especially after Severus had shown him a barrage of pictures of people who had stayed stuck while trying to move too far away. He didn't really fancy staying here till Severus remembered he could not tree-jump on his own, it was half way November and it was freezing cold. On the other hand the other Silvanimus had been very clear, under absolutely no circumstances was he allowed to tree-jump on his own. Deciding he didn't really fancy angering his guardian even more. He sat down close to the tree, huddling himself into a tight ball to try and stay warm.

He didn't know how long he remained there, he had lost all feeling in his arms and legs and was starting to feel drowsy. Suddenly he heard cursing and he was lifted from the floor in a single move. A warm cloak enveloped him and he started to shiver as he was pressed into a strong chest.

Severus tree-jumped once again towards their home, cursing his own stupidity as he tried to infuse some warmth in the small body shivering against him. He had been so angry with Harry that he had forgotten that he had absolutely forbidden the child to tree-jump without him. He always made sure his apprentices knew the danger of using that kind of transportation which helped curve their wish to experiment. It was no wonder Harry had preferred to wait for him instead of risking it.

Once they stepped into their home, Severus immediately headed towards the bathroom located on the lower level, undressing his little bundle as he went. Harry tried to fight him, as he didn't want to lose his clothes, even though they must be freezing, but Severus was relentless. In a matter of minutes he had Harry undressed and in the bath.

Harry was much recuperated when Severus finally allowed him to leave the bath. The older man had remained silent the whole time, just checking the water's temperature and adjusting it with a charm from time to time. Once Harry was out of the bath, he was handed a pair of warm pyjamas and sent to the kitchen where Severus quickly prepared him some soup to warm him up further.

Harry watched as his guardian moved through the kitchen. He could tell the man was furious by his abrupt movements and strained silence, and tried not to draw attention to himself. Once he had drunk his soup, Severus sent him to his room. It was barely four in the evening, but the older man had told him he better stay up there till tomorrow or he would be in even more trouble than he was now. Quite intimidated, Harry hurried to his room and sank into the bed. On one hand he would have preferred to know his punishment already, on the other he was quite relieved at the reprieve. He had never seen Severus so furious at him and he could only hope the man would have calmed down by tomorrow.

That evening, his dinner popped into existence around seven. Harry blinked slightly, he had fully expected to go to bed without food but it seemed Severus had other ideas. He quickly ate his dinner and once he was done he started to get drowsy. Scowling he quickly moved to the bed. He just knew the man had put a sleeping potion in there. The good thing about it would be that it would allow him to sleep since he doubted he would have gotten much rest otherwise.

The next morning Harry woke to the sound of a new tray popping into existence on his table. Somehow his dinner tray had been removed the night before. He quickly got up and dressed. There was a note on the tray that told him to get into Severus' office at nine sharp. Quickly Harry ate, trying not to think about what awaited him.

Twenty minutes later he was knocking softly at the man's door with sweaty hands. Severus' voice was cutting sharp as he told him to enter his office. The older man didn't even make him wait, as he often did just to make him nervous. Instead he was bid to approach him. Suspecting what was coming, Harry slowly walked closer to his guardian. Just as he had expected he was tugged over the man's knees as soon as he was within reach. Strong slaps started raining on his behind before he even had a chance to regain his breath. It was a show on just how angry Severus was at him when the man didn't stop as soon as Harry started to cry. Harry had learned that the punishment would go on until he started crying so he would usually not do much to repress his tears knowing it would spare him quite a few slaps. Not this time though, Severus seemed fully determined to show him exactly how angry he was at him.

Harry's behind was on fire when his guardian finally stopped the spanking. With a smooth movement Harry was put on his feet, tears still streaming down his face as he rubbed his eyes with one hand and his ass with the other one. Severus took him by his shoulders and forced him to look him in the eye despite the tears.

"You will never again get into a fist fight with anyone. Do you understand me?"

Harry sniffled and nodded. To his surprise he was then hugged tightly to the man. Severus didn't usually comfort him when he was being punished, thinking it was counter-productive, but this time he seemed to make an exception.

Severus rubbed the boy's back gently until he stopped crying. He knew he had been much harsher than he usually was, but this was important, he would never allow Harry to believe, even for an instant, that fighting was the best solution to a problem.

Once the boy had calmed down, Severus motioned to one of the chairs that stood in front of his desk.

"Sit down."

Harry winced, it would be murder to sit down right now, but he was not about to test the other man's patience. He went to the chair and sat down carefully, trying to keep most of his weight on his legs but he already could tell he wouldn't be able to keep that up for long so he relaxed slightly, wincing as the pain registered in his brain.

Severus watched on, leaning against his desk, as Harry tried to find a comfortable spot, knowing there was none. In other circumstances he would have been amused at the boy's restlessness but not now. Once Harry finally stilled, he started to speak.

"I want you to explain several things to me, and keep in mind your further punishment will depend on your answers so they better be very detailed and truthful."

Harry winced, wondering what else the man would do to him. "Yes, sir."

"What exactly did that boy say that provoked you enough to punch him despite knowing damn well you are not allowed to fight with anyone."

Harry shrunk slightly in his seat. "He has been saying for weeks now that I am just a teacher's pet and a weakling, and that the other children only play with me because I can help them with their homework. I didn't mind him much since he says that about a lot of people. But today he started on how my parents had probably dumped me here with you because I was such a weakling, how they could probably no longer stand to have me around. I'm sorry I punched him but it hurt."

Severus sighed and went to kneel in front of the child, not surprised to see tears wetting his eyes again. The subject of his parents was not one Harry broached very often despite knowing that Severus had known them both. "That little bastard doesn't know what he is talking about, Harry. I knew both of them for nearly ten years and I know that they would have been very proud of you. You are growing to be a strong and intelligent boy, the fact that you get good marks is nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, it is something you should be very proud of since you work so hard to get those marks. I'm sure if your mother were alive right now she would love to brag about it, she always was quite obsessed with her own marks."

That last remark finally brought a small smile on the child's face. Returning to his previous position, Severus asked the second question that had been bothering him. His tone was not so cold any more even though it didn't allow room for lies.

"Why didn't you tell me you were having problems at school?"

Harry frowned slightly. "At first it wasn't so bad, he was just annoying and I didn't pay him attention. I think that's why he got it in for me. The other children he bothered either ended up crying or ran to a teacher, I just acted as if he didn't exist. I mean, I had had to deal with Dudley, Bruno was really not as bad as my cousin. When he wouldn't leave me alone I thought of telling you, but if the teachers hadn't been able to deal with him, what could you have done? You're not there during lunch period and Bruno knows better than to try anything when we get out of school."

Severus sighed. "There were quite a few things I could have done, Harry. I know I don't use much magic around here, mostly because I prefer to use it only when it is necessary, but there are several things I could have done to remedy the situation. A visit to his parents would have been a nice place to start."

Harry shrugged. "It wouldn't have helped much, his father is just like Bruno, he is probably congratulating him right now."

There was a bit of bitterness in his voice that made Severus narrow his eyes. "If you expect to be congratulated for punching anyone then you don't know me very well."

Harry hunched a bit. "That's not what I meant."

"No, you are probably just thinking it is unfair that you are in so much trouble while this other boy is probably tormenting some other child right now, not knowing that in a few years he might get in trouble with the law if he keeps it up. Am I right?"

Harry was forced to nod as that was indeed what he had been thinking. Of course, when Severus put it like that it didn't sound so good. "But I wouldn't punch anyone again."

The older man snorted. "And if I had asked you yesterday morning you would have assured me there was no way you were going to punch anyone. Tempers are sometimes hard to control, Harry, it is difficult to try and think rationally when you are angry. Nevertheless you know what will happen if this situation happens again, because no matter what the other parents chose to do, I will not allow you to get into fights unpunished. Is that very clear?"

Harry sighed. "Yes, sir."

Severus nodded. "Good, now, you have been suspended from school for two weeks, that means you'll have to do the work on your own. You're also restricted to your room for those weeks. Take your time there to think about what happened and how you will act if the situation were to repeat itself. Understood?"

The child nodded, eyes firmly trained on the floor. "Yes, sir."

Severus straightened and returned to his seat. "Get going then."

Gratefully, Harry jumped up from the chair and quickly left the room, happy at least to be up from the chair but not looking forward to his confinement. Severus had used that kind of punishment before knowing that Harry hated not having anyone to interact with. In some ways it reminded him of his time in the cupboard. The first time he had been confined to his room he had had a panic attack, since Severus had closed the door with a charm so that he was not able to open it. It didn't matter that the room was at least three times the size of his cupboard, that Severus popped his meals at the right times into his room and that he had a bathroom of his own. The feeling of not being able to get out had sent Harry into a frenzy. From then on, Severus refrained from locking the door in the understanding that Harry would stay put until he was told otherwise.

Once in his room Harry quickly removed his trousers as they had been rubbing against his sore ass. Not really wishing to see the damage Severus had done, he went to lay down on the bed. He knew he wouldn't be doing much that day besides reading a bit and dozing as he was not about to sit down anywhere any time soon.

It was late that night when Severus finally went to bed, he had been trying to concentrate all evening without much success, debating whether he had been too stern with the child or not. He was passing Harry's room when he stopped. Casting a quick charm he checked that the boy was asleep and entered the room. He had to shake his head when he saw the child sprawled on the bed, his covers mostly on the floor. The room was quite warm thanks to the permanent warming charms that were on the walls but that was no reason not be covered. Silently, he re-arranged the covers and tucked the child in, watching the peaceful face. He dreaded to think the problems he was going to have with him when he started Hogwarts. Being surrounded by other teenagers all the time had the tendency to make even the most well behaved boy wild and Severus wasn't really looking forward to try and keep him in line. Maybe he was just getting too old for this.

Shaking his head, the man turned around and left the room, unaware of the green eyes that regarded his retreat sleepily but with a pleased smile around the small mouth. Harry turned around, wincing slightly as his ass made a brief contact with the bed. His guardian may be stern and demanding, hard to live with and often bad tempered. But he cared about him and that was, in the end, the only thing that mattered.


	10. Hogwarts

_Chapter 10: Hogwarts._

_**Autum 1991**_

A sharp cry of Harry rang through the room, but said boy was too busy trying to find something in the deep recesses of his closet to pay the voice attention. Severus, who had been the one calling, entered the room, a scowl etched on his face. He was met with the humorous sight of his apprentice's ass sticking out of the closet while the boy's front was buried in it. The room was in complete disarray, an overflowing trunk standing in the middle of the room with items thrown all around it.

"Harry."

His tone of voice was sharp and caused the boy to finally take notice of him. The child quickly got out of his closet and turned to face him, a small blush covering his face. "Sorry, Master Severus, you called?"

The man rolled his eyes. He knew he shouldn't have left Harry with Brian the last two weeks of the summer holidays. The boy now refused to call him anything besides Master Severus. God only knew what Brian had told him about that. Probably some of that rot about how apprentices were to show proper respect to their masters by addressing them as such and all that. Sadly, since it was indeed tradition, Severus could not really protest the title.

"I've been calling you for the last ten minutes. Dinner is ready. Now, what on earth are you doing?"

Harry shifted slightly. "Humh, sorry, I didn't hear you. I was packing my trunk."

Severus looked towards the mess incredulously. "I though you had finished packing yesterday?"

The boy shifted to his other leg. "Yes, but then I remembered a few other things I wanted to take and they didn't fit, so I took everything out of it and started again."

Sighing, the older man shook his head. "Harry, we'll be back here in less than four months, you won't need most of these things. Nearly all of those books for example are unnecessary, I have quite a collection at Hogwarts and the school has also one of the best stocked library you'll ever see, so just leave them here."

The boy frowned slightly. "Are you sure about that?"

The older man nodded before taking out his wand. With a small charm all the items in the room started to fly around, and then, one after the other, they landed neatly into the trunk. The ones he considered unnecessary were deposited in their proper place, leaving the room once again cleared out. Once the trunk closed, Severus shrunk it and put it in his pocket.

"Hey!"

Severus turned to Harry with a raised eyebrow. "You have everything you need now. If there is something missing you can either loan it from me or I can come get it for you. Now it's time to have dinner and then you'll go to bed, it's way too soon for you to be this excited."

The he turned around, giving the pouting boy no choice but to follow him.

The next morning Severus watched half in amusement, half in annoyance as Harry ran around the house. The boy was way too excited about going to school. Of course he could understand it was not only a new school but also a magical school, but that was no reason to be running around like that. When Harry passed in front of where he was reading for the fifth time in just as many minutes, Severus had enough. Taking the child's arm in a strong grip, he slapped him once hard on his ass with the book he had been reading, drawing a startled cry from the boy, who at once turned to glare at him.

Severus returned his glare with one of his own and forced him to sit down at the couch next to him. Then he gave him the book he had been looking through.

"Now sit still and read, or we'll just go to the school directly and you can meet your classmates there instead of riding the Hogwarts express."

Knowing Severus didn't make idle threats, Harry pouted and opened the book. Time seemed to slow down as Harry waited impatiently for the clock to mark ten o'clock. Severus tried to ignore him as the child looked up for the up tenth time to his watch. Next time he may have to dose him with a sleeping potion.

When the time finally came, Harry jumped up from the couch with a whoop. Severus was tempted to tell him they didn't need to go that early. But for his own sanity he refrained. Instead he calmly followed his apprentice as he rushed to the garden. They were going to tree-jump into a nearby park and then walk to Kings Cross.

Severus had a pounding headache when they finally reached the station, Harry had been chattering the whole way, asking questions incessantly and not even waiting for an answer.

"Harry."

The boy immediately became quiet at the low, menacing tone. "Yes, Master?"

"You either calm down right now, or I will just feed you a sleeping potion and take you to Hogwarts, understood? And I really mean it this time. If I have to warn you once more to conduct yourself properly you will not see the inside of the Hogwarts express until Christmas, that is if I allow you to go then."

Harry winced slightly and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Master, I'll try to calm down."

Severus growled. "Don't try, just do it."

Then, without another word, he led the boy towards the passage between the muggle and the magical train station. Together they stepped through, Harry looking around wildly, trying to take everything in. Severus had taken him to Diagon Alley a few times over the years, but he had never been at Kings Cross. Brian had told him all about the train but it was even more magnificent than he had imagined. He tried to remain still as Severus walked him to the train. There were already families spread through the place, saying their goodbyes to their children.

The Silvanimus shook his head slightly as Harry fairly vibrated with the need to watch it all. Deciding it was better for both their sakes if he left the boy and went to Hogwarts, he turned to the child who was at the moment watching a mother hugging a girl who had to be about his age.

Clearing his throat Severus bended slightly to look at his charge. "You have your robes, right?"

"Yes, Master."

"And money for your lunch?"

Harry patted his pocket where he had stored the money the older man had given him the day before. "It's right here."

Severus nodded and straightened up. "I'll be going then. Don't get in trouble at the Hogwarts express."

Harry nodded and watched as the man turned around and walked away. He felt a small thrill of fear as his guardian left but it was soon overrun by the excitement he was feeling and the knowledge that he would see his Master in just a few hours.

That evening Harry saw Hogwarts for the first time. Like the other first years around him, he gapped at the large castle that towered over them as they approached in the small boats. Blaise, standing at his side whispered to him that it was just like a fairy tale, and Harry was force to agree. Hagrid, the big grounds keeper took them to the castle and then left them in McGonagall's care. The stern woman bid them welcome and then led them to the Great Hall where they were going to be sorted. Brian had told him everything about the four houses of Hogwarts. He knew Severus had been a Slytherin, Alice and Brian on the other hand had been Gryffindors while Marius had been a Ravenclaw. Harry didn't really care in which house he would be in. Severus was not the head of any of the houses, despite the fact that Dumbledore had offered him the position of head of Slytherin. But the Silvanimus had refused, stating his time would be occupied enough with his duties as Potions Master and with Harry's lessons.

As his classmates were sorted, Harry looked over to the head table, smiling slightly as he saw his Master sitting there, watching him intently. Once it was his turn, he had to roll his eyes as the whispers filled the hall. Severus had warned him it would happen but he hadn't really believed him. The times he had gone to Diagon Alley, Severus had forced him to keep a cap over his head to cover his scar and no one had ever suspected.

Sitting down, he felt the hat settle on his head and a soft voice spoke in his mind. 'Ah, a new protector had come to Hogwarts, I already thought it was strange that Severus was back, but this explains it of course. Now, where to put you? Your parents where in Gryffindor and they were well suited for that house, but you are not only their son. Severus has raised you, and his influence is clear in you. Yes, I think I've made the correct decision.'

"Slytherin!"

Harry smiled slightly as he took the hat off. He didn't take notice of the deathly silent hall, he just looked up towards his guardian and was happy when the man raised his goblet towards him, a clear sign of his approval. It seemed that all was all right and that his adventure at Hogwarts was about to start.


End file.
